Former footballer Joey Barton has been charged with GBH after an alleged assault near a golf course.
The 43-year-old is one of two men charged following reports a man was attacked in Merseyside on Sunday.
The former Man City and Newcastle midfielder along with a second man, Gary O’Grady, are both accused of wounding with intent.
Paramedics were called at about 9pm on Sunday after a man suffered serious injuries to his face and body near Huyton and Prescot Golf Club.
He is in a serious but stable condition in hospital, police said.
Details of his arrest first emerged at a High Court hearing on Tuesday over a separate libel claim involving Barton and Eni Aluko.
Gervase de Wilde, representing ex-England footballer and TV pundit Ms Aluko, explained why Barton did not attend the hearing, saying his instructing solicitor “received a call from a duty solicitor in a police station in Liverpool” shortly before the hearing.
Mr de Wilde told the court that Barton, who also previously managed Bristol Rovers, “was arrested yesterday and is currently being held in custody”.
Merseyside Police confirmed the two men had been charged on Tuesday and are due to appear in court later the same day.
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A spokesperson for the force added: “We can confirm that two men have been charged following an assault in Huyton on Sunday night, 8 March.
“At around 9pm, emergency services were called to Fairway to reports of a man having been assaulted near to Huyton and Prescot Golf Club.
“The victim was taken to hospital for assessment of serious injuries to his face and ribs. He is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
“Two men were arrested. Detectives have now charged the following men with section 18 wounding with intent.”
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Barton, from Widnes, Cheshire, and O’Grady, 50, of Huyton, Merseyside, are due to appear at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon.
The ex-QPR player, who had one England cap during his career and also played for Rangers, Burnley and Marseille, now hosts a podcast called Common Sense With Joey Barton.
