Norwich City have confirmed Matty Pattison has returned to South Africa to join Mamelodi Sundowns.
Midfielder heads back to South Africa ahead of World Cup
Norwich City have confirmed midfielder Matty Pattison has returned to his native South Africa to join Mamelodi Sundowns.
Pattison, who originally joined the Canaries on loan from Newcastle United in November 2007, had been tipped for a summer exit after failing to feature for the club since January.
He was linked with a move to Championship side Blackpool last month, but has now secured a switch to Mamelodi Sundowns for an undisclosed fee.
Canaries boss Bryan Gunn believes the transfer will give the 22-year-old a better chance of earning a place in South Africa's squad for next summer's World Cup.
"We've announced today that Matty has signed for Mamelodi Sundowns," Gunn told the club's official website.
"It's a great opportunity for him to go back to his native country in order to impress in the build-up to the World Cup.
"Matty's got his head down in pre-season and worked really hard and impressed us in the coaching team.
"But we received a bid last week and we informed Matty about that and he was happy to go and have a look and see what the facilities were like in South Africa. He was pleased with the facilities and we wish him all the best."
