England footballer Adam Johnson has been sacked by Premier League Sunderland after he admitted a charge of grooming and one of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.
The 28-year-old winger will go on trial on Friday at Bradford Crown Court on two further counts of sexual activity with the same girl which he denies.
Sunderland released a statement on Thursday evening to say his contract had been terminated.
The club said: “In light of Adam Johnson’s guilty pleas, the club has today terminated his contract with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment.”
The news came hours after his boot sponsor Adidas announced they had terminated his deal.
The £10 million player, signed by Sunderland from Manchester City, had denied all the charges against him up until Wednesday’s hearing.
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce had earlier confirmed that Johnson would not be involved in the squad for Saturday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.
The grooming charge he has admitted relates to a period between December 30th 2014 and February 26th 2015.
Johnson, capped 12 times by England, also admitted sexual activity on January 30th 2015 which involved kissing and touching the girl’s body.
A jury was sworn in on Wednesday and was told the prosecution case will open on Friday morning.
