United youth team players in car crash

Two Manchester United youth team players were taken to hospital yesterday after being involved in a car crash.

The striker Phil Marsh, 17, was airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital after being cut free from the wreckage of a Honda Civic following the accident in Carrington Lane, Ashton upon Mersey, Manchester. The other player, Callum Flanagan, who was driving the car, escaped serious injury. Police were called to the crash at 1.20pm. A statement from United read: "Phil Marsh has a broken leg, an arm injury and facial cuts and bruises. He is in a stable condition."

The club's scheduled reserve team match at Birmingham City last night was postponed as a result of the crash. The female driver of the Ford Fiesta, the other car involved, suffered a serious leg injury, which is not believed to be life threatening.

Both players were in the youth squad for Tuesday's FA Youth Cup fourth-round defeat of Manchester City. Marsh, a substitute, did not figure, while Flanagan came off the bench to score with a 76th-minute header in United's 2-0 win.

The accident, which happened near the club's training ground, comes five months after the death of the striker Jimmy Davis in a car accident. The 21-year-old, who was on loan at Watford, died on the M40 last August.