Manchester City defender, Benjamin Mendy, was moved to maximum security prison just days before Christmas amid fears over his safety, according to the UK Sun.
Mendy is being accused of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The 27-year-old was switched to the notorious HMP Prison Manchester, commonly referred to as Strangeways, on December 23.
The French player was moved to the high-security men’s prison in Manchester from HMP Altcourse in Liverpool a day after the seventh rape charge was brought against him.
Mendy’s co-defendant, Louis Saha Matturie, 40, is also understood to have been moved to the Category A prison at the same time, The Sun reports.
A source told The Sun: “Both Mendy and Matturie have been moved because their case is so high profile.
“That can lead to safety and prisoner management issues and it was felt Category A conditions might be better equipped to deal with any potential issues.
“The Prison Service has a responsibility to manage prisoners in the safest way possible.”
