Benjamin Mendy, a Manchester City left-back, has been suspended by the club and kept in custody since August after being charged with seven counts of rape.
In response to concerns about the French full-back’s safety, UK jail authorities have approved his transfer to a high-security prison.
According to The Sun, Mendy was transferred to one of the hardest prisons in the UK on December 23, meaning he spent Christmas at the HMP Strangeways in Manchester.
Mendy was allegedly taken aback when he first saw his new cell since he had assumed he would be transported to the “VIP area” of the prison rather than the VP wing, which houses prisoners who are shielded from potential attacks.
The Frenchman has been in detention since August 27 and has made three bail petitions, none of which have been granted.
Mendy is currently charged with eight charges of rape against five separate women, including seven counts of rape against four of them.
