The striker left Sunderland to move to French club Bordeaux last year under acrimonious circumstances with the player pushing for the transfer.
A product of the Sunderland academy, Maja earned his stripes at the club and made 49 senior appearances, catching the eye with his performances at the Stadium of Light.
Maja admits that he has bittersweet memories of his time at Sunderland and the decision to leave was hard, but he insists that it had to be done to move forward in his career.
He stressed that he will forever remain grateful towards the club and the people at the Stadium of Light who helped him to do well at Sunderland.
Maja told The Independent: “When I look back on my time at Sunderland, it will always be bittersweet [after what happened].
“It was obviously a difficult decision to leave, but it was about recognising that it was time to take the next step.
“I’ll always be grateful to everyone there.
“It wasn’t easy when I first arrived, and I got a lot of support. I’ll always be thankful for that.”
Maja has scored 10 goals in 37 appearances since joining Bordeaux last year and will be aiming to further kick on with his development this term.
