A Premier League footballer has apologised for posting a selfie on Twitter showing him grinning as he flew to New Zealand.

Super fans John Adler, 63, and Liam Sweeney, 28, were killed while making the same journey on doomed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to see their beloved Newcastle United play in a pre-season tour.

United's Haris Vuckic posted a tweet, which was later deleted, showing him and defender Paul Dummett on board a plane, with the tag: "New Zealand!! Here we come!! @PaulDummett preseason!! SleepTime"

After removing the message, the 21-year-old Slovenian tweeted: "My apologies if anyone was offended by my photo from the plane. No offence was intended. We are thinking of John and Liam. #RIP #NUFCfamily."