MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has become the latest Premier League soccer player to have his home in the northwest of England burgled.
The Scotland international was away with United in Italy when three armed robbers kicked in the front door late Monday, while his fiancee and her mother were inside the luxury property.
A knife was held to Hayley Grice's throat as she was forced to hand over her engagement ring. Grice's mother also had jewelry forced from her, police said Tuesday.
The couple's twin sons, Jack and Tyler, were asleep at the time at the property in Bowdon as the 25-year-old Fletcher was in Italy preparing for United's Champions League match against Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Bowdon, an affluent village south of Manchester, is home to a number of high-earning footballers.
In a similar incident, thieves armed with a knife raided the home of Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz while he was away for a match at Portsmouth last November.
"It is a cowardly attack if they have targeted Mr. Fletcher, as with Mr. Santa Cruz, because they know the male of the house was away," police Insp. Frank Morris said.
Just over a kilometre away in Hale, Aston Villa's Emile Heskey had his front door kicked down by masked robbers who stole jewelry while he was out training in July last year during his time at Wigan.
In the same area, England forward Peter Crouch's home in Alderley Edge was targeted in 2006 as he played for Liverpool in a Champions League match in Turkey.
