A 25-year-old man will appear in court today charged with stabbing Premiership footballer Calum Davenport in the legs.

Both Mr Davenport, 26, who plays for West Ham, and his 49-year-old mother remain in hospital following the attack at the mother's house in Bedford at 5am on Saturday. Mr Davenport was today said to be in a serious but stable condition, while his mother is recovering well. Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Two men were arrested and questioned by police after the incident. Bedfordshire Police said this morning that Worrell Whitehurst, 25, has been charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm and will appear at Bedford Magistrates Court today. He had been arrested in his home town on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Whitehurst was also charged with causing actual bodily harm to Mr Davenport’s mother, driving whilst disqualified and being in possession of a knife.

A 19-year-old man arrested soon after the incident has been released on police bail pending further inquiries, the police added, after questioning at Bedford’s Greyfriars police station.

One of the men held was reported to be the boyfriend of the player’s sister.

Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, said the club was “very, very sorry” to hear what had happened.

“It’s a terrible story. We can’t imagine what he has been through in these moments," said Zola, speaking after a match between West Ham and Davenport’s former club, Tottenham Hotspur.

“The doctor told me that the situation is stable, he is okay. The situation will be clearer in the next few days. Now it’s important that he’s all right.“

Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, who was Davenport’s boss at Southampton earlier in his career, described the player as “lovely and inoffensive”.

He said: “I know Calum. I had him on loan - a lovely lad, inoffensive and it’s really sad to see what’s happened to him and his mum.

“Hopefully they’ll pull through and be ok. You couldn’t meet a brighter, more laid-back lad than him.”

The footballer, who cost West Ham £3 million when he joined them from Tottenham during the summer of 2007, and played as an England Under-21 international, underwent emergency surgery on Saturday morning.

He did not figure in the east London club’s first game of this season, at Wolves last week and, after struggling to hold down a first-team place, has been linked with a move to another club.

Bedford-born Mr Davenport spent a spell on loan at Premier League rivals Sunderland last season and has also been loaned out to Watford.

The centre-back started his career at Coventry and has also played on loan at Southampton and Norwich.

Almost 600 people have joined a Facebook group called 'Get Well Soon Calum Davenport' and left messages of support for the player and his mother, named as Kim.

Wellwisher Clare Neal wrote: “Hopefully by the time you read this you’ll be home on the mend wit zoe and angel, thinkin of ya mum too you’ve come a long way from the kid i babysat prayers are wit you all love clare mia, my mum and mel x x x.”

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