Adam Johnson has been sacked by Sunderland a day after he attended court in Bradford and pleaded guilty to two child sex offences.
The former Manchester City winger admitted to one count of grooming and one of sexual activity with a 15-year-old schoolgirl, while he denied two further charges of sexual activity.
With his trial set to start on Friday, Sunderland have confirmed their decision to terminate his contract having now had time to process his guilty plea.
“In light of Adam Johnson’s guilty pleas, the club has today terminated his contract with immediate effect,” a club statement read.
Meanwhile, Adidas had confirmed that they had terminated his sponsorship deal in light of his guilty plea earlier in the day, while Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce had conceded that the former England international wouldn’t be included in the squad for this weekend’s clash with Manchester United.
Having now announced his exit, Johnson will now prepare for a two-week trial with his last game for the Black Cats coming in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, a game in which he scored.
The 28-year-old played for Middlesbrough and Manchester City prior to his arrival at the Stadium of Light, with the club spending £10m to sign him in August 2012.