Mike Jones, originally of Tarleton, Lancashire, was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning, a spokesman for the New York Police Department (NYPD) said.

Mr Jones found on a street near 25 West 14th street, knifed in the neck and torso. His ear had been cut off.

Officers said he had been arguing with someone just before he was attacked, but it is not clear if he knew his killer.

Police are searching for a male suspect with a ponytail and CCTV footage has been released.

Earlier in the evening Mr Jones had been out with his girlfriend before they parted ways at around 11pm.

The coach for New York Red Bulls' juniors was declared dead on arrival at Bellevue Hospital, New York.

In a statement, the Red Bulls called him a "terrific friend" and a "fantastic coach who loved soccer".

John Parkinson, treasurer of Tarleton Corinthians who Mr Jones used to play for, said everyone knew him as "Jonesy".

He said: "We are trying to come to terms with it. He was a genuine lad, no trouble. He was not a lad who would look for trouble or anything like that.

"He is not the sort of lad that would be up to no good ... it's a big shock to us. We are stunned."

Mr Jones' parents are said to be in a "state of shock". Mr Parkinson said Mr Jones had gone to the US on a scholarship when he was 17.

"He kept in touch with everybody," said Mr Parkinson. "He was just one of the lads."

The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey.

The British Foreign Office is in contact with the family of Mr Jones, who is understood to be a former pupil of Tarleton High School and former student at Edge Hill University, Southport.