Footballer Nicky Butt's arrest for 'domestic' assault came after he split from his wife and she moved out of the family home, a neighbour has revealed.
Butt, 44, was held by police following reports on Tuesday that a woman had been assaulted at an address in Hale, Greater Manchester.
It has now emerged that the ex-midfielder had just last year split from his wife of 11 years, Shelley Barlow, 44.
A neighbour told The Sun: 'Nicky and Shelley decided it couldn't work last year. It's obviously a very difficult time for everyone and it seems tensions might have boiled over.'
Another neighbour also revealed that Butt, who is head of coaching at the Manchester United youth academy, had moved into an apartment but visits his old home to see his two children.
Manchester United yesterday revealed that it would not suspend Butt, who has strongly protested his innocence following his arrest on suspicion of assault.
Lawyers for Butt, 44, released a statement on Wednesday afternoon. It read: 'Mr Butt strongly denies any allegations or suggestions of an assault and will continue to co-operate and assist the police with their ongoing investigations.'
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'Police were called at around 2pm on Tuesday 16 April 2019 to reports that a woman had been assaulted at a house on Broadway, Hale. The woman received a small cut to her hand and does not require hospital treatment.
'A 44–year-old was arrested on suspicion of assault and has been bailed pending further inquiries.'
Butt won a string of Premier League titles in his playing career at Old Trafford and also played in the club's dramatic last-gasp 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.
Manchester United were knocked out of this year's Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday night in a 3-0 second leg away defeat to Barcelona.
The news comes just a day after Paul Scholes was charged by the Football Association with misconduct for allegedly breaching betting rules while he was a co-owner and director at Salford City.
He could face a fine or even a ban after allegedly placing 140 bets between August 2015 and January this year. He has until 26th April to answer the charge.