The Sunderland midfielder Adam Johnson has been arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl under 16. The player was suspended by the Premier League club and was released on bail by police on Monday night.
Johnson, 27, was arrested by police on Monday morning at his £1.85m home in County Durham. He is alleged to have had sex with an underage girl and is co-operating with an investigation.
“A 27-year-old man was arrested earlier today on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl under 16,” said a spokesman for Durham police earlier on Monday. “He remains in police custody and is helping officers with their inquiries.”
Johnson will not feature in Sunderland’s Premier League match at Hull City on Tuesday evening, having been suspended by the club. A statement read: “Sunderland AFC has confirmed that Adam Johnson has been suspended from the club, pending the outcome of a police investigation. No further comment will be made at the present time.”
Johnson, who was born in Easington, began his career at Middlesbrough – where he made his debut in 2005 – and had loan spells at Leeds United and Watford before moving to Manchester City in 2010 for £7m. He returned to the north-east in 2012 following a difficult spell with City, when Sunderland signed him for £10m.
The winger has played for England 12 times, scoring twice, although has never been selected in a major tournament squad for the World Cup or European Championship. His last appearance for the national team came in August 2012 when England beat Italy 2-1 in a friendly under Roy Hodgson.
He scored the winning goal in the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle this season. Although his form for Sunderland has been inconsistent since returning to the north-east, he is regarded as an important member of a squad fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
According to reports, a police van and three unmarked cars arrived at Johnson’s house. He had been due to feature in Sunderland’s squad for the Hull game before his suspension. The club delayed a press conference by a few hours and released a short statement later in the day.
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