Manchester United star Mason Greenwood has been arrested on suspicion rape and assault as part of an ongoing police investigation into allegations made on social media this weekend.
The 20-year-old, an England international, has also been suspended by his club and remains in police custody as enquiries continue.
It follows a post shared to Instagram featuring pictures and videos which showed a young woman with a number of injuries including a cut to her mouth which was pouring with blood and several bruises.
The woman also shared a disturbing audio clip in which a man can be heard threatening a woman.
A police spokesman said: ‘Greater Manchester Police was made aware earlier today (Sunday 30 January) of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.
‘An investigation was launched and following enquiries we can confirm a man in his 20s has since been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault.
‘He remains in custody for questioning. Enquiries are ongoing.
‘If you’re a victim of domestic abuse, or are concerned about someone you know, please use our online reporting facility or use our LiveChat facility on our website, or call 101.
‘In an emergency that’s on-going or life is in danger, always dial 999.’
Manchester United said it was aware of the allegations while Greenwood’s sponsor Nike said the company was ‘deeply concerned’ and that it would ‘continue to monitor the situation’.
The Premier League club initially said it would not make any further comment until the facts had been established, adding: ‘Manchester United does not condone violence of any kind.’
An updated statement this afternoon said: ‘Mason Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice.’
Earlier today, it is believed police officers visited the woman’s family home where her father said they had been devastated by the revelations.
He added: ‘The first thing we knew about this was at 6am this morning.
‘It is dreadful. I’m just coming to terms with it all. As a father you don’t want to know things like that happening to your daughter.
‘The police have been round and she has made a statement to them. She is completely devastated by it all.’
Greenwood has had a series of run ins with his club team following his ‘general tardiness’.
In September 2020, Greenwood was sent home in disgrace by England after he and Phil Foden broke Covid protocols by inviting two women back to the hotel in Iceland.
Both issued public apologies, with Greenwood promising to learn from his ‘huge mistake’.
MailOnline also revealed how Greenwood got into further trouble for holding rowdy house parties throughout the coronavirus lockdown at a secret address.
The young striker rented the three-storey home through Airbnb ‘five or six times’ during the pandemic where neighbours complained they were kept awake.
The striker was still at the school when he became Manchester United’s youngest ever player in the Champions League, making his debut against PSG aged 17.
Dubbed United’s ‘new wonder kid’, he broke into the first team squad in 2020, scoring ten goals before football stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.