Ryan Giggs is facing a possible retrial after a jury failed to reach verdicts in his domestic violence trial.

The former Manchester United footballer had been on trial for four weeks but following more than 20 hours of deliberations, the jury of seven women and four men, having lost one juror to illness, failed to reach any verdicts.

Lawyers will now have to consider the public interest of a retrial but any further trial would only take place many months from now.

Giggs, 48, had denied controlling or coercive behaviour over a three-year period towards his ex-girlfriend, Kate Greville, 38.

He also denied “losing control” and headbutting her and assaulting Ms Greville’s sister, Emma, by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester on November 1 2020.

Jurors first went out to consider verdicts late on the afternoon of August 23.

The jury of 12 was later reduced to 11 after one juror became sick and was discharged.

Judge Hilary Manley, on Tuesday, gave the jury a majority direction, meaning they did not have to return unanimous verdicts agreed by all 11, but could return verdicts if a majority of 10-1 agreed.

But jurors were brought back into court on Wednesday afternoon and asked if they had reached any agreement on any counts.

The jury foreman told the court jurors could not reach any verdicts on any of the three counts Giggs denied.

Judge Manley thanked jurors and discharged them from their duties.

Giggs was released on bail until a mention hearing on September 7.

The jury had been out considering their deliberations for 22 hours and 59 minutes before they were brought back into court at 3.04pm.

Judge Hilary Manley asked if they had reached a verdict on any counts on which a majority of 10 to one had agreed.

The foreman of the jury answered: “No.”

Asked if there was any “realistic prospect” of them reaching verdicts if given more time, the foreman again answered: “No.”

Judge Manley then thanked the jurors and discharged them. She warned all the jurors not to discuss the case as there may be another trial of the case in the future.

Giggs made no reaction during the short hearing.

During weeks of evidence, jurors were told there were “two very different” sides to Ryan Giggs, the public persona and the one behind closed doors.

Giggs was accused of psychologically and physically abusing his PR executive girlfriend, Ms Greville, during the course of their relationship, between August 2017 and November 2020.

He was also accused of headbutting Ms Greville following a row as she tried to leave him over his serial womanising.

In the same incident, he was accused of elbowing Emma Greville, 26, in the jaw.

Peter Wright QC said the “sad history” of the pair’s relationship revealed the ex-Wales manager’s excesses were endured, excused and kept private by Ms Greville.

He said all that changed on the night of November 1 2020 when Giggs attacked her – and she had the “courage” to stand up to him and expose the Giggs “behind the mask”.

Defending, Chris Daw QC told jurors Ms Greville was a “scorned” woman furious at the defendant’s infidelity throughout their on/off six-year relationship.

He said there was no evidence of Giggs controlling anything she did and the alleged headbutt was “utterly incredible” and actually an accidental clash of heads or faces.

Giving evidence, Giggs admitted his reputation as a “love cheat” was justified and he had been unfaithful in all his relationships, but said he had never physically assaulted a woman or set out to control and coerce anyone.

Among the alleged controlling or coercive behaviour by Giggs was messaging Ms Greville and/or blocking her when she was on nights out; regularly turning up unannounced and uninvited at her home, workplace and gym when she tried to break off the relationship; and threatening to send emails to her friends and employers about their sex life.

Giggs also denied Ms Greville’s claims he bruised her wrist in Dubai in September 2017 and threw her naked into a hotel corridor, and that he bruised her knee and arm in another incident in Dubai in February 2020.

He told the jury his ex’s allegation that he threw a bag at her, kicked her out of bed and ejected her naked into a London hotel corridor in December 2019 was not true either.

In Giggs’s time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups.

He is a co-owner of League Two side Salford City.

In June, Giggs stood down from his “dream job” as manager of Wales, for which he won 64 caps for as a player, after being on leave since November 2020.