Gloucester confirm Danny Cipriani has left the club with immediate effect

Danny Cipriani has left Gloucester with immediate effect, the Premiership club has confirmed.

The fly-half has been absent from the team’s selection in recent matches, as rumours circulated about his future entering the final year of his contract at Kingsholm.

A good friend of Gloucester defence coach Dom Waldouck and attack guru Alex King after their time at Wasps, Cipriani will leave Gloucester with the best wishes of George Skivington.

“Danny has been playing at the top of his game for over a decade now, his reputation in the game is undisputed.

“It has been a pleasure to have been a part of Danny’s career at Gloucester and I wish him well for his next challenge.”

Cipriani, 33, joined the Cherry and Whites from Wasps in 2018 with firm hopes of returning to the England set-up in signing a three-year contract. His first season in the south-west finished with him being crowned the club’s 2018-19 Player of the Year.

But the former Wasps prodigy has missed the last two matches for Gloucester, having started in their season opener against Leicester in the Premiership.

News emerged on Monday that Gloucester have agreed to terms with Glasgow Warriors to sign Scotland fly-half Adam Hastings – now confirmed.

A player who deputised for the exiled Finn Russell in this year’s Six Nations, Hastings is understood to have turned down the offer of a new contract at Scotstoun to make the switch the Premiership next season.

Cipriani’s future and reasons for leaving Gloucester are yet to be known, but he said he was ‘excited for the challenges ahead’.

He added in a club statement: “After much deliberation I have decided to leave Gloucester with the love, support and blessing of my coach and friend George Skivington. Whilst I’m sad to be leaving such a great club I know the club is in safe hands for the future under George’s leadership.”