Everton midfielder Fabian Delph has been wrongly named online as the Premier League footballer suspended by the club over alleged child sex offences.
Thousands of social media users shared fake messages claiming that Delph had been arrested following a raid by Greater Manchester Police.
The confusion came after Everton said it had suspended one of its players pending a police investigation but did not name him.
Last night a club source told The Sun: 'It's been extremely unfortunate for Fabian.
'He is entirely innocent and has been dragged into this by the club's decision not to name the other player, directly leading to rumours spreading on unregulated websites and social media.