This Aug 07, 2021, photo shows Manchester City's French defender Benjamin Mendy during the English FA Community Shield football match between Manchester City and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium in north London on Aug 7, 2021. (ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP)

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was charged by the Cheshire Constabulary with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Thursday, with the Premier League club suspending the Frenchman pending an investigation.

The police added Mendy, 27, has been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Chester Magistrates' Court on Friday.

"The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021," Cheshire Constabulary said in a statement.

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City said in a statement they would not be making any further comment as the matter was subject to a legal process.

Mendy, who has played for France 10 times and won the World Cup in 2018, was signed by City from AS Moncao in 2017 for a fee in the region of 52 million pounds (US$71.32 million).

He has won the Premier League three times with City although injuries have limited his playing time, with the left back undergoing knee surgery in the 2018-19 season.