Republic of Ireland international Darron Gibson has been charged with a number of driving offences including drink driving.

It is alleged the soccer star crashed his car into a cyclist before driving off and hitting a petrol pump while over the drink-driving limit.

The 27-year-old midfielder was reportedly driving a black Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo luxury sports car when it is claimed he hit the bike near his home in Altrincham, Cheshire, on Sunday night.

Police were called and charged the footballer with driving without due care and attention, driving with excess alcohol and failing to stop after a road traffic collision.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “He has been bailed to appear at Trafford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, September 1st.

“This is in relation to an incident on Sunday, August 16th where police were called to reports that a car had collided with a cyclist on Park Road, Trafford, and failed to stop before pulling into a petrol station on nearby Dunham Road and colliding with a pump.”

A worker at the Shell service station told the Sun: “This bloke in a nice black car came to a stop after a crash down the road.

“The police all arrived pretty quickly, someone in the garage called them. We didn’t know what had happened before he stopped here.”

Another employee told the newspaper they had passed CCTV footage on to the police.

Gibson began his career at Manchester United before joining Everton for around £1 million in 2012. He is currently out due to a groin injury.

An Everton FC spokesman declined to comment.

PA