Former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke hopes a property sale will allow him to clear a £1.5 million tax debt and avoid bankruptcy, a judge in a specialist court has been told.

A lawyer representing Yorke, 46, on Friday told an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing in London that the property earmarked for sale was worth £2 million.

Barrister Samir Amin told Judge Jonathan Middleton that contracts had been exchanged and Yorke hoped a sale would go through soon.

He said Yorke owed HM Revenue & Customs £1.5 million and was the subject of a bankruptcy petition.

Yorke, who made 375 Premier League appearances during a career spanning more than 15 years, was not at the hearing.