Sunderland have been urged by Kevin Phillips to make a permanent move for Lutsharel Geertruida.

Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has suggested that the Black Cats “should be looking” to sign versatile loanee Lutsharel Geertruida on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

The Dutchman initially joined the Premier League new boys from German outfit RB Leipzig on a temporary agreement during the summer transfer window, with Regis Le Bris’ side negotiating an option-to-buy clause as part of the deal that brought him to Wearside.

Since then, however, Geertruida has struggled to hold down a regular starting berth in the North East. Almost half of his 23 top flight appearances thus far have come from the bench, and generally, the 25-year-old has only been utilised when Sunderland have struggled with personnel issues, either because of injury or instances of international absence, such as during the African Cup of Nations.

But nevertheless, Phillips is of the opinion that Geertruida has shown enough to suggest that the Black Cats should push ahead with a permanent move for him over the coming months.

What has Kevin Phillips said about Sunderland loanee Lutsharel Geertruida?

Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, the pundit said: “He’s proved he can play in numerous positions and he certainly hasn’t let the club down. Considering the speculation in January, he nearly left the football club and for him to put that to one side and continue to play and perform for the club without letting that affect him just shows you what the player is about.

“He’s got great abilities. The biggest thing is he can play in various positions. We’ve seen that already this season. He’s a good utility player and he’s the type of player that Sunderland should be looking to keep permanently because he’s proved he can play in the Premier League for sure.”

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What did Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris say about Lutsharel Geertruida?

Speaking in a recent press conference, Sunderland boss Le Bris addressed Geertruida’s role in his plans at the Stadium of Light, stating: “We had many conversations with Lutsha. It's not always easy to tell a player he won't start. He came a bit late in our journey in the Premier League and the others played well. They generated their momentum and it's hard to break, even if you're a really good player.

“He has the 11th [most] game time in the squad, which shows that he's involved, but not often in one specific position. It's a strength in one way because he's really versatile. He's always useful for the manager and the squad. If you need one player in the left-centre-back position, he will do it. Right-back, he will do it. Six after Granit [Xhaka], because Granit is not available, he can do it. He can play as a right-winger. He did it often at the end of the game.

“It's really important. At the same time, when you are not allocated in a specific position, you might say that we don't trust him, which is not the case. It's a specific journey and now it's the right timing for him to stay in the squad. I think the first step at Bournemouth was good. Now he needs to keep going.”

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