Detectives were continuing to question England and Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood on Monday following his arrest on suspicion of rape and assault.
Greenwood, 20, spent the night in police custody after allegations emerged early on Sunday that he had been violent towards a woman. He has also been suspended by the Premier League side.
Greater Manchester police said they had been made aware of “online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence”. The £75,000-a-week striker’s arrest came after a distressing clip emerged on Instagram.
Another post included a recording of a conversation between a man and a woman, dated October last year, which appeared to describe an attack on her. The video and images have been deleted from the woman’s social media account.
Police forensic officers were yesterday seen parked outside the footballer’s £2 million house in the village of Bowdon, Cheshire. The force said: “An investigation was launched and following inquiries we can confirm a man in his twenties has since been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault. He remains in custody for questioning. Inquiries are ongoing.”
Greenwood will not train or play for Manchester United until further notice.
In a statement, the club said it was aware of images and allegations circulating on social media, adding: “Manchester United does not condone violence of any kind.”
Nike, which signed a boot deal with Greenwood in 2020, said: “We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Attempts have been made to contact Greenwood’s representatives for comment. The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust posted on Twitter: “The club has now confirmed that Mason Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice. MUST fully support the decision of the club.”
Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal tweeted: “These allegations need to be investigated quickly.”
Bradford-born Greenwood joined Manchester United aged six. In March 2019, he became the youngest footballer to play for the club in the Champions League, aged 17. He has made 129 appearances for the Old Trafford club, scoring 35 goals. He has the number 11 shirt previously worn by Ryan Giggs.
England manager Gareth Southgate gave him his first cap at the age of 18 in 2020 — a substitute appearance in a 1-0 away win against Iceland.
But Greenwood was sent home after he and team-mate Phil Foden broke coronavirus rules by sneaking two Icelandic students into the team hotel. They were both fined by police in Reykjavik and Greenwood apologised, saying he only had himself to blame for the “huge mistake”.
Weeks after the Iceland incident, he was spoken to by Manchester United officials amid concerns he was not turning up to training on time.
