Sunderland’s statement made no mention of why Johnson had been arrested, but earlier on Monday, a northeast England police force confirmed a 27-year-old man was in custody “on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl under 16,” though Durham Constabulary would not confirm if the individual in question was the Sunderland player.

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Johnson helped City to win the 2011-12 Premier League title but was bought by his hometown team Sunderland for a reported £10 million ($15.3 million) before the start of the following season.