Jonny Evans, the Manchester United player, has been released on bail after being questioned by police today about claims that a woman was raped at a hotel where the football team were holding their Christmas party.

The 19-year-old Belfast-born defender volunteered for questioning after a 26-year-old woman alleged that she had been the victim of a sex attack at Manchester's Great John Street Hotel. He was released on police bail and ordered to present himself to police on February 23.

The multi-millionaire players had booked out the entire four-star hotel on Monday night for the squad Christmas party. They told their WAGs - wives and girlfriends - to stay at home and invited 100 models and dancers, for what one observer described as a "drinking, lap dancing and gambling marathon".

But the party came to an abrupt halt at 4.15am yesterday morning when the police received a 999 call alleging that there had been a rape in the building.

The Manchester Evening News reported today that the initial call to police was made by the boyfriend of the victim. He told police that the alleged attack had happened in one of the hotel bedrooms, the newspaper said.

The woman was taken to the specialist sexual assault centre at St Mary's Hospital to be examined and gave an initial statement late yesterday afternoon. She will be questioned further today.

The £395-a-night hotel was closed until yesterday evening with police spending much of the day inside.

The revelries began around 1.30pm on Monday when 35 Manchester United players gathered for lunch at the Manchester 235 Casino. It is reported they were joined by two drag queens and five burlesque dancers.

They then moved to the Old Grapes pub, owned by Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, where they were overheard singing, before going back to the hotel.

A spokesman for the hotel said last night: "We did have an event on Monday night. We are helping the police with an investigation."

Manchester United declined to comment.

Mr Evans made his Manchester United first team debut just three months ago in a 2-0 home defeat to Coventry in the Carling Cup. The club's manager, Alex Ferguson, has since heaped praise on the young player, and is reported to have said: "He's quick, he reads the game and he has a good technique on the ball.

"He's got everything."

However, Sir Alex was reportedly furious when Mr Evans was indirectly involved in a bust-up between fellow Northern Ireland squad members Keith Gillespie and George McCartney on a flight home after a 2-1 defeat by Iceland in September.

Tempers are thought to have flared when Gillespie took exception to McCartney telling Mr Evans that Gillespie had hidden the defender's passport.

Although Mr Evans, understood to be a quiet young man, was neither the protagonist nor the antagonist, the United manager was known to be furious that one of his players was part of such an embarrassing incident.

Mr Evans, who is comfortable in any position across defence, impressed during a spell on loan to Sunderland last season.

However, the player's finest moment was a superb debut for Northern Ireland at left back during their 3-2 victory over Spain at Windsor Park in September last year, during which he shackled the considerable threat of Fernando Torres.

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