England international Aaron Lennon was detained under the Mental Health Act after concerns for his welfare.

The 30-year-old, who has not played for Everton since February 11, was negotiated with by police officers for 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon.

Officers were called to a location in Salford, Greater Manchester, following concerns over his state of mind. Tracksuited Lennon was at the side of a busy thoroughfare close to the M602 motorway and officers believed he was in a precarious situation.

Aaron Lennon joined Everton permanently in 2015 after a successful spell with Tottenham

Lennon made more than 350 appearances for Tottenham between 2005 and 2015

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

Officers stopped the Leeds-born winger on Stott Lane, close to Salford Royal Hospital.

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.'

AARON LENNON FACTFILE - Born on April 16, 1987 - Made professional debut for Leeds v Newcastle, 2003 - Became youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League at the age of 16 years and 129 days in a 2-1 loss at Tottenham on August 23, 2003 - Joined Tottenham in 2005 for a fee of £1million - Made International debut for England v Jamaica, 2006 - Won 21 caps for the Three Lions and featured at the 2006 World Cup but never scored - Won the League Cup with Tottenham in 2008, playing the full duration of their 2-1 (aet) win over Chelsea at Wembley - Joined Everton on loan in January 2015 - Made a permanent move to Merseyside in the summer of 2015 for £4m fee - Has scored 40 goals in 465 career club appearances Advertisement

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.'

Lennon's representatives, Base Soccer Agency, tweeted: 'Everyone at Base Soccer sends their support to @AaronLennon12 - get well soon and stay strong.'

In an update on Lennon's availability on April 4 ahead of their match with Manchester United, Everton manager Ronald Koeman said: 'He is not in a physical way to be part of the team.'