“Ask Chris Coleman, he knows the truth” - just what is former Sunderland man LuaLua alluding to?

Perhaps one of the more unspectacular bit of transfer business made by the club in recent times was that of Kazenga LuaLua, who joined Sunderland on a free transfer back in January from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Congolese winger never actually started a game for the club during his short spell here, though he was due to do so in the final game of the season before succumbing to injury in the pre-match warm-up, featuring only sparingly as a substitute under then-manager Chris Coleman.

And in a post on his Instagram story late last night, LuaLua held a Q&A with his followers in which he faced a question about his time at Sunderland from an anonymous source.

He was asked simply “what happened at Sunderland?” to which he replied “ask Chris Coleman, he knows the truth”.

Just what does the former Newcastle United man mean by that? Could it be that he was frustrated at not featuring more than he did? It’s certainly an answer that poses more questions than it answers.

Chris Coleman said around the time of his signing that LuaLua would feature mostly as a centre forward in his side, but the truth is that - for whatever reason - he was never really given a chance, and that’s perhaps what Kazenga is referring to.

Coleman stated more than once that he didn’t feel LuaLua was fit enough when asked the question from the press about why the wide-man hadn’t played more, so it’d be understandable if he ultimately feels frustrated about his time at the club and the lack of real opportunities afforded to him.

He did, however, follow up that post by answering another, more positive, question.

Interesting nonetheless.

During his Q&A, LuaLua also promised imminent news regarding his future, indicating that he’s close to finding himself a new club ahead of next season - and good luck to him.

It was a shame that it never worked out better for him here, as had he remained fit he probably could have had the type of impact that many predicted - including fans of Brighton - that he might have when he first signed.