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Malbranque leaves St Etienne

Image: Malbranque: Made just one appearance for St Etienne since signing from Sunderland in August.

Former Sunderland midfielder Steed Malbranque has terminated his contract with St Etienne, the French club have confirmed.

Midfielder quits after just a month

Former Sunderland midfielder Steed Malbranque has terminated his contract with St Etienne, the French club have confirmed. The 31-year-old has only played 27 minutes for his new club since signing from the Black Cats last month. The Frenchman, who has also had spells at Lyon, Fulham and Tottenham, was at the centre of confusion earlier this week when he was forced to deny claims that he had retired from football to look after his cancer-stricken son. Malbranque released a statement via his solicitors on Monday saying that he did not even have a son and that the rest of his family are in good health. However, his time at St Etienne has come to an end after the club confirmed they had reached an agreement with the player. "AS St Etienne and Steed Malbranque have reached an amicable agreement to terminate their contract," a statement read on the club's official website. "St Etienne and the player wish to firmly deny the groundless, sometimes hurtful rumours linking Steed's decision to his health or that of his children." Prior to his brief return to Ligue 1 Malranque had spent 10 years in the Premier League, making 336 appearances for Fulham, Tottenham and then Sunderland.

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