West Ham striker Andy Carroll 'held up at gunpoint' during attempted robbery

Premier League footballer Andy Carroll was threatened by 'two armed men' in an attempted robbery as he returned home from a training session.

The West Ham striker, 27, was driving his Mercedes G-Wagon back to his home in Essex when he was approached by two men on motorbikes shortly before 1pm on Wednesday.

They claimed to have a firearm and demanded he stop his vehicle.

The Premier League forward sped off and was pursued through the streets, before he turned off at the club's Rush Green training ground to seek the help of security staff.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers responded to a reported attempted robbery at gunpoint in Chigwell, north-east London.

A West Ham United spokesman said: "[We] can confirm an incident targeting one of our players on Wednesday 2 November. The matter is now being handled by the police."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says the player was "very brave" in the situation and was his usual self on Thursday.