Steven Pienaar, the Everton midfielder, has been arrested for an alleged assault on a woman in Liverpool.

The 26-year-old South Africa international went to a police station voluntarily on Sunday morning and was arrested after officers were called to investigate an incident at a flat in the Sefton Park area of Liverpool.

"Merseyside Police can confirm that a 26-year-old man from the Mossley Hill area, has been arrested on suspicion of assault," a police spokeswoman said. "The man has been released on police bail pending further enquiries."

Pienaar, presently on the sidelines with a broken toe, was part of the South Africa squad in the 2002 World Cup and played for the country at the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

In April his move to Everton was made permanent after he played for the club while on loan from Borussia Dortmund. He is on a three-year deal until 2011.