Kyle Lafferty was involved in a disciplinary dispute before being released by Kilmarnock on transfer deadline day.
The Northern Ireland international made a shock exit from Rugby Park with manager Derek McInnes later confirming that he did not want his striker to leave.
Kilmarnock's board of directors took the decision to end Lafferty's contract and Herald and Times Sport can reveal this conclusion was decided following a breach of club rules.
Lafferty recently returned from a 10-game ban imposed by the Scottish Football Association for making a sectarian comment on a night out while on international duty, which was filmed and uploaded on social media.
Asked about the departure yesterday, McInnes explained: “It wasn’t perfect for me. The timing was awful to be honest but it was a decision made above me, between the board and Kyle.
“Unfortunately it left us short on what we were trying to get but we move on. I really enjoyed working with Kyle and we wish him well but unfortunately for us the timing wasn’t great.
“I feel as if he’s somebody I’ll always be there for and I’ll keep the relationship with him, but unfortunately I’m no longer going to be his manager and we move on.”
A club statement read: “It’s with regret that Kyle Lafferty and Kilmarnock Football Club have parted company by mutual consent. We thank Kyle for his service to the club.”
Lafferty played in four games since returning from his suspension and during his second stint at Rugby Park he scored 11 goals.
Despite the setback of losing Lafferty – and Oli Shaw who signed for Barnsley on deadline day – McInnes was delighted with the performance from his side as they defeated Dundee United last night.
He added: “Tonight the performance was everything I wanted and I thought the performance was great from the players.
“I thought my two strikers were terrific all night, other than scoring a goal which is a huge part of the job. But in terms of leading the line, they were almost faultless from that side of it.
“We just need to make sure that we carry more of a threat. That was a 1-0 game tonight and it should’ve been more for us.”
