Premier League star assaulted in bar

Everton midfielder Ross Barkley was punched three times in the face by a man, hours after he helped Everton beat Leicester 4-2.

The incident took place at 2am on Monday morning, London time, at the Santa Chupitos pub in Liverpool. CCTV footage shows Barkley talking to a man before receiving three punches to the face and falling to the floor.

"We confirm that Ross was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a stranger," Barkley's attorney said in a statement.

Merseyside Police also said they were investigating the incident, although they had not received any reports of an assault. The 23-year-old midfielder arrived at Everton's training ground as usual on Monday morning.

Barkley is Everton's number one playmaker. Photo: Reuters.

In 2014, Barkley also got into trouble with a British gangster. Sam Walker, a drug dealer, took to Twitter to threaten to end Barkley's football career when the two got into trouble with a woman.

Barkley is considered a rising star in the Premier League, a future leader of the port city team, as he has shown his potential at the age of 23. But he has yet to agree to sign a contract extension, which will expire at the end of next season.

"We offered him a new contract and there were two possibilities," said coach Ronald Koeman. "Either he signed. Or we sold him. It was as simple as that."

Barkley played the full 90 minutes in the 4-2 win over Leicester, assisting Romelu Lukaku's opener.

According to VNE