Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has denied nine sexual offences against six young women at Chester Crown Court.
The alleged offences are reported to have taken place between October 2018 and August 2021, and he was released on bail ahead of his Crown Court date.
The left-back was initially charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault back in August 2021, having already made two appearances for Man City that season.
In total, Mendy has been charged with seven counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape against six young women.
Prior to being charged by police on August 26, Mendy had played the full 90 minutes against Leicester City in Man City’s Community Shield defeat at Wembley on August 7.
The former France international also started and lasted 79 minutes on the opening day of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur – his most recent match for Pep Guardiola’s side – and he was on the bench at home to Norwich City on August 21.
Since arriving in Manchester from Monaco in the summer of 2017, Mendy has gone on to make 75 appearances for the Citizens, scoring two goals and providing 14 assists.
A World Cup winner with France in 2018, the defender has been a part of three Premier League-winning teams, four EFL Cup triumphs and one FA Cup success under Guardiola.