Former Premier League footballer Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has had his contract terminated by MK Dons a month after appearing in court charged with attacking a woman.
The 34-year-old is alleged to have attacked the woman in Staffordshire in June. He was arrested and charged with assault by beating, and appeared at Cannock magistrates' court on crutches, where he denied the charge. He was freed on conditional bail and is due to stand trial in January 2027.
The court heard that Mendez-Laing allegedly repeatedly struck the woman over the head during the incident, injuring her arm. The argument is said to have begun over a disagreement about a phone.
MK Dons confirmed the termination in a short statement, saying the club confirmed the termination of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's playing contract by mutual consent. The winger played 29 times for the Dons after arriving in May 2025 and had not played since August. The club thanked him for his efforts and wished him all the best for the future.
Mendez-Laing, born in Birmingham, represented England at youth level before switching allegiance to Guatemala at senior level. He played in the Premier League for Cardiff City and also represented Wolves, Peterborough United and Derby County during a lengthy career in the English game.
The case is a reminder of how quickly football clubs now act when players face serious criminal charges. The mutual consent framing of the termination follows a familiar pattern in which clubs move to distance themselves from players whose legal troubles threaten reputational damage. Mendez-Laing's career had already taken him through the Premier League with Cardiff City in 2018-19 and through spells at Wolves, Peterborough and Derby, before he dropped into the lower leagues with MK Dons in May 2025, making 29 appearances before the charge ended his time at the club. The winger, who switched international allegiance to Guatemala after representing England at youth level, had not played since August.
Mendez-Laing's representatives have not commented beyond his not guilty plea in court. The case will return to the courts in January 2027, when a jury will hear the full evidence and determine whether the prosecution can prove the assault charge. Until then, the former top-flight winger finds himself without a club and facing the most serious legal battle of his life. The case, which centres on an alleged disagreement about a phone in Staffordshire in June, will be heard in full in January 2027, when a court will determine whether the prosecution can prove the charge of assault by beating beyond reasonable doubt.