Last season, however, Lennon seemed to take an unsteady step backwards at White Hart Lane, while Walcott made a rocket-assisted international take-off on a memorable night in Zagreb.

Riise scored a superb goal in the pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen on Tuesday, while Andrei Voronin impressed with a brace and Fernando Torres made his debut.

"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life, " said the centre's manager Stefan Porwoll.