A girl felt "compelled" to perform a sex act on former Sunderland winger Adam Johnson while the pair were in his car, a court heard on Monday.

Johnson is on trial at Bradford Crown Court over two counts of sexual activity with a child, which the recently-sacked footballer denies.

Last week, the 28-year-old, who has won 12 England caps in his career, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and a further count of grooming.

A police interview, which was recorded in April last year, was played to the court and in it the girl told officers that she performed a sex act on Johnson 'because she didn't know what his reaction would be if she didn't'.

The teenager, who was 15 years old at the time, alleged that Johnson had told her via text message "you owe me for this" after he signed two Sunderland shirts for her.

When describing the incident, the girl alleged that Johnson repeatedly tried to put her hand on his penis while they kissed in his car.

"He put my hand on his trousers then put my hand back down there so I felt a bit awkward if I pulled my hand back," the court heard. "I just sort of felt compelled to do it in a way because he took his trousers down. It's hard because I can't remember how it started - I just tried to forget about it."

During cross-examination by Johnson's counsel, Orlando Pownall QC, proceedings were halted for 10 minutes after the girl began sobbing uncontrollably while explaining why she asked her friends not to tell anyone that she had performed oral sex on Johnson.

"It was concern because I didn't want him to lose his career or anything," the court heard. "I wasn't bothered about myself at all. I was trying to protect him so he didn't lose everything."

The girl revealed earlier in the day that she first met up with Johnson on January 17, 2015.