West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has been cleared of charges that alleged he threatened to throw acid in the face of his former girlfriend and have her killed.
Morrison, currently on loan at Cardiff, was said to have harassed Reah Mansoor over a four-year period, but on Monday the Crown Prosecution Service formally withdrew the allegation.
The 21-year-old was also accused of threatening to blow up Mansoor's house as part of the alleged conduct between January 2010 and July of this year.
A not guilty verdict on Morrison's harassment charge was formally recorded on Monday in a case management hearing at Manchester Crown Court, which the player attended.
He will stand trial at the same court on Jan. 26 on three remaining charges of assaulting Mansoor, 19, and her mother, Parveen Mansoor, 39, in the early hours of July 24.
The ex-Manchester United player denied the harassment charge at a preliminary hearing held in August.
He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault by beating and one of assault causing actual bodily harm.
Morrison, originally from Manchester, was bailed on condition he lives at an address in Cardiff, does not contact directly or indirectly the two women complainants, and does not enter the Greater Manchester area except for a court appearance or when he plays in his professional capacity.
Despite being touted as a bright prospect at Old Trafford, Morrison appeared only in the League Cup before then-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sold him to West Ham for 650,000 pounds in January 2012.
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce, unimpressed by Morrison's commitment, later shipped him out on loan to Birmingham and then to Queens Park Rangers.
Morrison, who has four England under-21 caps, is currently playing for Championship club Cardiff on a three-month loan deal.