Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy, 27, has been freed on bail, after being charged with multiple counts of rape last year.
Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy celebrates with the Premier League trophy.
Peter Powell
The accused footballer, who was being held at HMP Altcourse before being transferred to HMP Manchester, was granted bail by Judge Patrick Thompson at a private hearing at Chester Crown Court.
Mendy had been due to go on trial this month, but the trial has now been put back to June at the earliest.
He has been bailed until January 24, until a further pre-trial hearing.
Mendy is accused of eight offences against five different women including seven counts of rape relating to four women and one count of sexual assault.
The full bail conditions were not given in open court, but Mendy was told he must live at his home address, not to contact complainants and surrender his passport by midnight on Friday.
Mendy, wearing a black suit and white shirt, replied, “OK” to the judge.
The charges are three counts of rape, alleged to have happened on October 11 2020; sexual touching on January 2 2021; two counts of rape on July 24 2021 and two counts of rape on August 23 2021.