West Ham United has reportedly revealed that their young Australian international footballer Dylan Tombides has passed away at the age of 20 following a three-year battle with cancer.
Tombides reportedly passed away with his family by his side on Friday after he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer following a routine drug test in 2011.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Tombides made his senior debut for the Premier League club last year while he was receiving treatment for the disease.
Tombides, who was considered one of Australia's brightest young footballers, just three months ago had reportedly represented his country at the Under-22 Asia Championship and also played for Australia at U-17 level.
West Ham will hold a minute's applause in the young footballer's memory before their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday and in Australia, Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United players will wear black armbands and hold a minute's silence during Saturday's A-league elimination final in Gosford.
Football Federation Australia boss David Gallop said that on behalf of the Australian football community, they offer their deepest condolences to Tombides' family, teammates and friends during this extremely sad time, the report added.