Sunderland have today confirmed that Kyle Lafferty has left the club after an 11-game spell with the Black Cats. 

The experienced Northern Ireland international joined the Wearside outfit in January on a short-term deal and was hoping to play his part in taking Sunderland back to the Championship.

However, that didn't happen, with Phil Parkinson's side sitting outside the play-off places as the season was cut short, meaning they are set for a third successive year in the third tier.

So, with Lafferty's deal expiring, the club had a decision to make and they announced on their official site that the former Rangers target man has moved on.

It means the 32-year-old departs having played just 11 times in the red and white stripes and he scored two goals during that time - both in the 2-2 draw against Gillingham back in March. Although, it should be said that many of his appearances came from the bench and Lafferty did impress on occasions with his ability to lead the line and bring others into play.

That could be the start of a very busy summer for Sunderland as they look to build a squad that can win promotion.

The verdict

This is a decision that you can only properly assess when the next season starts as whilst Lafferty's goal record wasn't great, you could argue he is the best of a bad bunch at the Stadium of Light right now.

Therefore, it may have made sense to keep him from a football perspective but we don't know the ins and outs financially.

Either way, it's clear new strikers need to be the priority for Sunderland in the coming months but the uncertainty surrounding the whole club right now means it's a nervy period for the club.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.