Clive Clarke has taken medical advice and agreed to have his contract at Sunderland terminated.

The defender came to the mutual agreement with the club after recently suffering two heart failures.

Clarke had been on loan at Leicester, when during the interval of a Carling Cup clash at Nottingham Forest, he collapsed in the dressing room and had to be rushed to hospital.

The former Republic of Ireland international has not played a competitive game since recovering from the incident, but it is still not clear whether he will now decide to retire from the game completely or just take a break before beginning a search for a new club.