Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The pop star has the biggest-selling album of the year

Pop star Ed Sheeran has broken his right arm, putting his upcoming tour dates in jeopardy.

"I've had a bit of a bicycle accident," wrote the star on his Instagram page , posting a picture of his arm in a cast.

"I'm currently waiting on some medical advice, which may affect some of my upcoming shows. Please stay tuned for further news."

The 26-year-old was on a break from his world tour, but was due to resume with a gig in Taipei next week.

Image copyright Ed Sheeran / Instagram

He has a further 14 dates scheduled this year , including concerts in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, before kicking off the Australian leg of his tour in March 2018.

The tour is in support of his multi million-selling third album Divide, which was released earlier this year.

Sheeran famously plays his concerts solo - using just a guitar and a loop pedal to layer up songs like Thinking Out Loud, Sing and Shape of You.

Losing the use of his right arm would make such a set-up impractical - but, speaking to BBC News earlier this year , Sheeran said he would never consider playing with a backing band.

"I don't feel like there's anything interesting or new about seeing a singer-songwriter with a band behind them," he said.

"I don't feel like if I suddenly got a band, everyone would go, 'Wow!'. I actually feel it'd take away from me."

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