Two men have been charged with murder after the death of a non-league footballer.

Ezekiel Williams, 26, from London, was seriously assaulted in Milton Keynes city centre in the early hours of Sunday morning, Thames Valley Police said.

Detectives launched a murder investigation after Mr Williams died in hospital from his injuries on Monday.

A Home Office post-mortem examination took place on Thursday, and the preliminary cause of Mr Williams' death was a head injury.

Sameull Hussein, 28, of no fixed abode, and 21-year-old Arman Uddin, of Luton, were charged with one count each of murder on Thursday night.

The men have remained in custody and were due to appear before Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on Friday.

A third man, aged 30, from Luton, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on conditional court bail while investigations continue.

Mr Williams last played as a midfielder for Hendon FC in northwest London, joining the club in September.

It described him as a "humble, unassuming and generous individual with a razor-sharp wit".

The club added: "He quickly established himself as a highly popular member of the dressing room and was beginning to carve a place for himself in midfield with a series of hard-working and selfless displays that summed him up as a person."

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Mr Williams also played for Kettering Town FC - which described him as a "talented, kind, and a truly inspirational individual" - FC Romania, Northwood, and Harrow Borough during his footballing career.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in his memory, which has raised over £17,000 as of Friday morning.