Sunderland loanee Lutsharel Geertruida was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool this winter

Sunderland loanee Lutsharel Geertruida has taken to social media to share a brief message in the aftermath of his failed move to Liverpool during the January transfer window.

The Dutchman found himself at the centre of a bizarre tussle last month, with the Premier League champions making an unexpected effort to prise him away from the Stadium of Light amid an ongoing defensive injury crisis on Merseyside.

With right-back options Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, and Joe Gomez all sidelined at the time of writing, Reds boss Arne Slot admitted in a press conference last week that his side had attempted to reunite him with Geertruida, who he managed during a shared stint at Feyenoord earlier in their respective careers.

He said: "I think I've said that we've tried to strengthen the squad, so that probably tells you [I wanted players] and I don't think I was the only one who wanted that. But it's always about availability and the right player.

"We do have discussions about what is good for the short and for the long term of the club and now, for example, Jeremy Jacquet wasn't available for the winter, but he was for the summer. We've made a decision to sign him because we think he's a really good signing for the future of this club. I'm very happy with the squad. Let that be clear. But it's all clear and obvious, that we have three long-term injuries [Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, and Alexander Isak].

"That's why we've tried to strengthen the squad in winter break and the player you mentioned [Geertruida], in the end, wasn't available. But we've tried to strengthen the squad - that is clear. And that tells you that we think that it would have helped us. But it should be possible that we're not gonna sign players that are not good enough to play for this club."

With Geertruida currently on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, the Black Cats would have had to greenlight any prospective agreement, and with little time or opportunity to bring in a suitable replacement, it was decided that he would remain on Wearside.

For his part, when asked about Geertruida during a recent press conference, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris said: “We’ve had many conversations. I think we were honest and really well connected all the way through. When the deadline was finished and over, he accepted the decision. I think he is ready to play for Sunderland. I don’t have any worries about him being okay from now on.”

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What has Sunderland loanee Lutsharel Geertruida said on social media?

And now, Geertruida has taken to Instagram to post a cryptic four-word message. The 24-year-old shared a photo of his own back tattoo, alongside the caption: “Can’t complain. Thank God.”

Black Cats teammate Romaine Mundle then responded with Sunderland’s now-iconic promotion slogan: “’Til the end”.

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