English Premier League side Sunderland announced on Friday that they will immediately release their on-loan Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari after refusing to take on his buy-out clause.

“Muntari is a great professional player and we’d like to thank him for his efforts with the team wishing him all the best for the future,” the Black Cats coach Steve Bruce was quoted as saying on the club’s official site.

The 26-old midfielder joined Sunderland on a short-term loan from Serie A giants Inter Milan last January.

Muntari won’t play for Sunderland in the remaining couple of league games according to the terms of his contract.

The Ghanaian international made nine appearances with the Black Cats during his loan spell but failed to meet Bruce’s expectations.