Actor Antony Cotton: 'There are three gay players in every football team'

English actor Antony Cotton has predicted that there are three gay footballers in every team, but thinks that they are reluctant to be open about their sexuality because they are not "spokesmen".

Out of 5,000 professional footballers in England, not one is openly gay and Coronation Street star Cotton, who is a Manchester United fan, believes that it is only a matter of time before someone in the sport comes out.

"If there are 22 footballers in a squad, by the law of average there will be two or three gay footballers in every single team," the Daily Star quotes Cotton as saying.

"But isn't it strange there isn't one out Premier League footballer? Of course it will happen eventually. Do I know any gay footballers? Of course. We all know gay footballers, everyone knows a gay footballer.

"A footballer's gift is in their feet so they don't have to speak. That's a fundamental issue in what they do. They don't have to speak, they don't have to be spokesmen."

Los Angeles Galaxy winger Robbie Rogers is one of few footballers who have come out as gay, while former Premier League midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger opened up about his homosexuality last year following his retirement.