Former Sunderland defender Patrick van Aanholt has said that he feels "very sorry" to see the Black Cats relegated from the Premier League following Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
van Aanholt feels for his former club's current situation
Josh King's 88th minute winner at the Stadium of Light saw Sunderland's 10-year stay in the top flight come to an end with four games remaining of the season, with another two from Hull City, Swansea City and Middlesbrough likely to follow suit.
van Aanholt spoke to Crystal Palace's official website after their home loss against Burnley, and he said that he feels "very sorry for Sunderland" following their relegation from the Premier League.
The 26-year-old added that it is "sad" to see the club that "helped me into the Premier League" drop into the second tier of the Football League following a hugely disappointing season that currently sees the Wearsiders sitting on a measly 21 points.
Sale of the Dutchman set the tone for remainder of the season
van Aanholt's time in the North-East came to an end in the January transfer window as he reunited with Sam Allardyce in London for a fee of £14 million, with the player later revealing that he requested to leave Sunderland after reportedly falling out of love with the game under David Moyes.
The left-back stressed however that although he does feel for his former club, he has now "moved on" and is "very positive" that the Eagles will secure their Premier League safety under former Sunderland boss Allardyce in the coming weeks.
It is telling that van Aanholt is still Sunderland's second top scorer in the Premier League this season with three goals to his name while Jermain Defoe leads the charts with 14 goals, although he has not found the net since the Black Cats beat van Aanholt's Palace side 4-0 back in February.
The sale of van Aanholt, who was a key player in an attacking sense for Sunderland, set the tone for the remainder of the season with the club failing to create many chances on goal over the course of 2017 and has seen them score just two goals in their last 10 games.