LONDON-Ed Sheeran says he is “unable to perform live concerts for the immediate future” after breaking his arm in a cycling accident. The star came off his bike, reportedly after being struck by a car, at the weekend. “A visit to my doctors confirmed fractures in my right wrist and left elbow,” he said on Instagram, alongside a picture of his arm in a cast.

So far, dates in Taipei, Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong have been affected. “I’m waiting to see how the healing progresses before we have to decide on shows beyond that,” the star said.

The 26-year-old has a further eight dates scheduled this year, including sold-out concerts in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. He then has a three-month hiatus - coinciding with the Grammys and Brit Awards - before resuming his tour in Australia next March. The concerts are in support of his multi million-selling third album Divide, which was released earlier this year. Sheeran famously plays his concerts solo - using just a guitar and a loop pedal to layer up songs like Thinking Out Loud, Sing and Shape of You.

Losing the use of his right arm would make such a set-up impractical - but, speaking to BBC News earlier this year, Sheeran said he would never consider playing with a backing band.

“I don’t feel like there’s anything interesting or new about seeing a singer-songwriter with a band behind them,” he said. “I don’t feel like if I suddenly got a band, everyone would go, ‘Wow!’ - I actually feel it’d take away from me.”

The singer headlined Glastonbury earlier this year, and is due to play stadium dates in the UK and Ireland - including four nights at Wembley Stadium - next summer.