Ravel Morrison has denied charges  he threatened to have his former girlfriend ‘murdered for £10,000’ before attacking her and her mother.

The 21 year old Irons midfielder pleaded to charges he harassed Reah Mansoor over a four-and-a-half year period, before assaulting her and her mother, Parveen Mansoor.

He was reported in the Manchester Evening News as looking downcast in the dock at a Manchester Crown Court preliminary hearing.

He shook his head at each charge, pleading ‘not guilty’ to assault causing actual bodily harm and assault by beating to Rhea Mansoor, and assault by beating on Parveen Mansoor, offences alleged to have happened on July 27.

Morrison also faced a fourth charge of putting Rhea Mansoor in fear of violence by harassment by threatening to throw ‘acid in her face and to pay £10,000 to have her murdered’ in a ‘course of conduct’ stretching between January 1 2010 and July 20 this year.

A provisional trial date has been now been set for January 26. Morrison has been bailed to an address in east London, with a case management hearing set for November 10.

The newspaper reported that Judge David Stockdale QC bailed Morrison on condition he does not ‘contact directly or indirectly’ the two alleged victims. He must not enter Greater Manchester except for court appearances or ‘an official West Ham United football match’, and must return to London ‘immediately’ after each match.

Morrison was arrested in Manchester on Sunday July 27 after police were called to an address in Peel Green, Salford, in the early hours.

It followed reports that Rhea Mansoor, 19, had been assaulted outside a nightclub in Manchester city centre and at an address on Alexandra Road in Peel Green. Her 39-year-old mother also claimed she had been attacked there.