Everton Footballer Phil Jagielka Robbed at Knifepoint

An injured Premiership footballer has been robbed at knife point at his Cheshire home while watching his team play on television in the latest of a string of raids on footballers' mansions.

Phil Jagielka, the Everton and England defender, was watching his side play Hull in the Carling Cup yesterday when three men burst into his £2m home in Knutsford and forced him to hand over jewelery and the keys to his Range Rover, which was among a number of luxury cars in his driveway.

No one was hurt in the incident and the car was found abandoned.

Jagielka, 27, is convalescing after rupturing knee ligaments in April. It is not known if his wife and two children were at home during the break-in.

He is the 11th Merseyside footballer whose home has been robbed in recent years. Police believe the gangs target footballers' luxury homes when they are scheduled to be playing.

A spokesman for Everton football club, who said the defender was shaken by the incident, told the BBC Jagielka was "helping police with their inquiries".