The Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger has been charged with being drunk and disorderly following a night out drinking with friends.

Police arrested the 20-year-old in the early hours of Sunday morning in Newcastle's Cathedral Square, near the city's famous Bigg Market drinking strip and Tup Tup Palace nightclub.

Officers confirmed Ranger was questioned for more than four hours before he was charged and released on bail. He will appear before magistrates on 17 November.

"At 1.40am on Sunday, police arrested a 20-year-old man for being drunk and disorderly in the Cathedral Square area of Newcastle city centre," a Northumbria police spokesman said. "Nile Ranger, 20, has been charged and will appear at Newcastle magistrates court later this month."

Ranger has only just been reinstated to first-team training with Newcastle after a three-month exile in the reserves. The troubled forward was told to find a new club in the summer after several warnings about his discipline.

The arrest could land Ranger in trouble with the club if it is proved he broke a curfew on consuming alcohol 48 hours before Monday night's trip to Stoke City.

A Newcastle United spokesman declined to comment on Monday.