Wes Thomas has left Notts County after the club "reluctantly accepted" his request to terminate his contract.
The forward had been absent in recent weeks after refusing to train with the first team due to his concerns over Covid as the club gave him a bespoke programme to keep him fit at Meadow Lane.
Notts moved to fill his position by signing Inih Effiong on loan from Stevenage until the end of the season as they waited for Thomas in the hope he would return when he felt it was safe.
But the club has now confirmed his departure in a brief statement released on Tuesday afternoon.
It said: "We have this afternoon reluctantly accepted Wes Thomas’ request to terminate his contract.
The forward, who joined us in 2019, cited family reasons behind his decision and departs with our best wishes for the future."
Thomas played a key role in helping Notts finish third in the National League last season as his 12 goals helped them finish in the play-off positions.
But he has made just four appearances for the club this term, but made an impression in the 3-1 win over Altrincham when he set up two goals for Kyle Wootton.
However, his progress was halted when Covid ripped through the squad and then he suffered with a kidney stone.
His last appearance for the club came in a 1-0 defeat at Aldershot in November.
