Benjamin Mendy, a Manchester City defender, has been found not guilty on seven of the nine accusations brought against him.

After a nearly five-month trial, the defender was acquitted of six charges of rape and one count of sexual assault.

However, following 13 days of deliberation at Chester Crown Court, the jury was unable to reach verdicts on two further accusations against Mendy – one count of rape in October 2020 involving a woman aged 24, and one count of attempted rape in October 2018.

The Crown Prosecution Service has seven days to determine whether to retry the two offences on which no verdict could be reached.

As the judgments were read out, Mendy buried his face in his hands.

Louis Saha Matturie, Mendy’s co-accused, was found not guilty on three counts.

He might face a retrial on six counts.

When Mendy was arrested in August 2021, Manchester City suspended him and ceased paying him in September 2021.

His contract is set to expire this summer.