Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish smelled of "intoxicating liquor" and was slurring his words after crashing his £80,000 Range Rover during March's Covid-19 lockdown, a court has heard.

The 25-year-old England international pleaded guilty to two charges, including one linked to the incident when his 4×4 hit two parked vehicles in Dickens Heath, Solihull, West Midlands.

The Premier League star did not appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, but entered pleas through his lawyer, admitting driving without due care.

The winger, of Barnt Green, Worcestershire, was involved in the incident less than 24 hours after issuing a Twitter video message urging people to stay at home to save lives and protect the NHS.

Eventually, officers used their sirens to pull him over near Villa's training ground at Bodymoor Heath, where the star was "calm and compliant" and apologised for his driving.

Grealish was rated man of the match after finishing the full 90 minutes in his side's 1-0 win over Leicester City on the night of October 18.

He had denied two other charges connected to the Dickens Heath incident, of failing to stop and failing to report the incident. No evidence was offered for the police-led prosecution, and the charges were dismissed.

The judge said Grealish already had six penalty points on his driving licence for a 2018 motorway speeding offence and could be at risk of a driving ban under the totting-up scheme.

He asked defence lawyer Barry Warburton whether Grealish would be able to attend the court's afternoon session to hear his sentence.

After a short break in proceedings, Mr Warburton told the judge: "He is in training, sir. His phone is in his locker and the best guess is he won't get access to his phone until three o'clock."

After hearing further submissions from Grealish's lawyer, the judge adjourned sentence until December 15, when the player is set to attend.