Michael Essien: Ghana midfielder released by Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos have released Ghana international Michael Essien after the club excluded him from their squad for next season.

The 33-year-old box-to-box midfielder joined Panathinaikos on a two year deal last year but his spell with the Club has been fruitless due to his constant injury woes which has propelled the Club to release him.

Essien was among three players including Abdul Jeleel Ajagun, German's Jens Wemmer and Stathis Tavlaridis who were shown the exit door.

This does not come as a surprise to many following initial reports that the Greek side wanted to cut the 35-year-old off to make way for other young players.

Panathinaikos are keen to cut down on their budget and create the avenue to sign new players.

Essien, who joined Panathinaikos last season from AC Milan, is the highest paid player at the club with an annual salary of 800,000 Euros.