Man Utd academy coach Butt bailed over alleged assault

MANCHESTER: The head of Manchester United’s academy Nicky Butt has been bailed by police after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman.

Butt, a former United midfielder, was held following reports on Tuesday that the woman had been assaulted at an address in Hale, Greater Manchester.

The 32-year-old had expressed pre-tournament caution regarding the health of his knee — a worry which appeared to be groundless after a 76-minute masterclass.

Nadal collected the opening five games of the afternoon in 17 minutes as he set the tone for another dominant display in the principality.

He was equally in control during the second set, where he saved three break points in the fourth game and two more in the sixth.

“It was a great start, it’s good to be back here,” the 17-time Grand Slam winner said.

“I’ve had some great moments on this court, I really enjoy playing here.

“It’s not easy to come back from injury, I had to do a lot of mental work as well to be prepared.

“I tried to play solid, dominate with my forehand when I had the chance.”

Bautista Agut has now lost to his Spanish countryman in all three of their meetings, while Nadal improved his incredible record here to 69-4 as he takes aim at a fourth consecutive title at the event.

Third seed Alexander Zverev rediscovered traces of his best form with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The German, locally based, reached the third round as he tamed the 18-year-old who broke through for a Miami semi-final last month.

– Upbeat Zverev –

The 21-year-old Zverev played the semi-finals in Monte Carlo a year ago but has yet to hit his stride this season.

That may be starting to change.

“This is the first time this season I’ve felt really healthy,” said Zverev, who lost prematurely at both Indian Wells and Miami, as well as in Marrakech last week.

The 44-year-old was later released pending further inquiries.

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 six Premier League titles in his playing career at Old Trafford before joining Newcastle and Birmingham.

He returned to United as a reserve team coach in 2012 and has headed up the club’s academy since 2016.