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Everton midfielder Aaron Lennon has been detained under the Mental Health Act after concerns for his welfare.

The 30-year-old winger had to be helped by police in Salford on Sunday when he was found at the side of a busy road close to the M602.

Lennon, 30, who has been absent from recent Everton squads with an unspecified injury problem, spoke to police officers at the scene for around 20 minutes.

The Daily Mail reports that Greater Manchester Police officers believed he was in a precarious situation.

The player, capped 21 times by England, was a £4million Roberto Martinez signing for Everton from Tottenham in 2015.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Police were called at around 4.35pm on Sunday, April 30, 2017 to reports of a concern for the welfare of a man. 'Officers attended and a 30-year-old man was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for assessment.’

On Tuesday Everton issued a statement which said: ‘Aaron Lennon is currently receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness. The club is supporting him through this and his family has appealed for privacy at this time.’

Addressing Lennon’s availability on April 4 ahead of their match with Manchester United, Ronald Koeman said: "He is not in a physical way to be part of the team."

If you need to talk to someone or are affected by any of the issues in this article, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 from the UK or for support with mental health issues call Mind on 020 8519 2122