Sunderland goalkeeper coach Tim Carter has been found dead.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "Shortly after 12pm on Thursday June 19 police were called to Highfield Close in Stretford following reports of a body found.
"Officers attended and found the body of a 40-year-old man.
"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances."
Mr Carter, who was recently appointed as Sunderland's academy goalkeeping coach, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A file has been passed to the coroner and a post-mortem examination will take place next week.
He was the first-team goalkeeping coach before the arrival of ex-Manchester United star Raimond Van Der Gouw last summer and also coached Estonia's national team goalkeepers on a part-time basis.
Carter was capped three times with England's youth squad in 1985 and made his Football League debut for his local team Bristol Rovers at just 18.
He joined Sunderland on Christmas Eve in 1987.
He also appeared for Newport, Carlisle, Birmingham, Hartlepool, Millwall, Blackpool and Oxford before going into coaching.
Mr Carter ended his playing days in 1999 at Halifax Town. Today a spokesman for Sunderland declined to comment.
Durham Constabulary said today that the former goalkeeper's family had raised concerns for his welfare before his body was found.
A spokesman for the force said: "Durham Police can confirm that members of Mr Carter's family had first raised concerns for his safety in the early hours of Thursday.
"On information available at the time, officers from this force had been liaising directly with colleagues from Greater Manchester Police who in their turn carried out extensive inquiries in their area throughout that day."
