Lutsharel Geertruida quickly pulled himself together after missing out on a transfer to RB Leipzig. According to Arne Slot, the Feyenoord defender doesn't show any signs of disappointment to his teammates.
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Geertruida was close to a move to the German top club, but the deal fell through. Slot is hopeful that the 23-year-old Dutch international won't be sold this summer. "It's not my intention for Lutsharel to leave after all, but as a coach, you don't have an excessive amount of influence on that. A serious injury occurred to another central defender at Leipzig, which led to a change of mind there. At this moment, there's no reason to assume he's leaving," Slot stated during his press conference on Friday afternoon.
During the press event, Slot expressed his admiration for the mental resilience that Geertruida has shown. "When it didn't go through, I called him that day. Actually, he did exactly what I expected from him: reacting in a very good way, also towards the team. He doesn't show his disappointment to his teammates, and he also feels great about playing for Feyenoord – his club. He is fully focused on this coming Sunday. I find that remarkably impressive for a player of his age experiencing something like this for the first time," Slot mentioned.
Slot mentioned that, from his role as a coach, he has mixed feelings about the developments around Geertruida: "It's never unpleasant when a player with his qualities stays with you. But besides being a coach, I am also a human being. I can also empathize with him as a person, and then I understand that there's disappointment involved."
Updated: 03:07, 11 Aug 2023
