Benjamin Mendy played 5-a-side matches with Premier League stars during trial

Benjamin Mendy kept fit during his time away from football by playing 5-a-side – and sometimes against former Premier League footballers.

The 29-year-old was arrested back in 2021 and suspended by Manchester City before spending two years on the sidelines until being found not guilty of six counts of rape in January and cleared of one count of rape and one of attempted rape at a retrial on July 14.

Mendy, who became a free agent during his retrial as his contract at City came to an end, had been keeping fit by playing football away from the limelight, in accordance with his bail conditions.

The Athletic report that Mendy also took part in fixtures that included former Premier League players while awaiting his initial trial and the retrial.

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Mendy was pictured at Powerleague five-a-side venue in Manchester two days after the verdict, joining Lorient on a two-year contract just three days later.

The 2018 World Cup winner, who also has three Premier League titles to his name, cost City £52million back in the summer of 2017.

Following his acquittal, high-profile footballers including Memphis Depay and Vinicius Jr spoke out in support of the left-back.

Lorient manager Regis Le Bris said last week: "The recruitment team has worked on this for a long time.

"At one point, his name came up as a possibility, alongside others. We really wanted to find someone in this position, it’s not easy.

"We said ‘why not’ because of the situation of the player but, in the end, a deal was able to happen."

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A club spokesman added: "The club denies that any negotiation with the player took place before the verdict."

Lorient have friendlies against Le Havre, Nantes and Bournemouth before the Ligue 1 season gets underway against reigning champions PSG on August 12.

Mendy will be looking to add to his 293 appearances at club level in that fixture, having won the French title with Monaco in 2017.

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