Sunderland were a match away from bouncing back to the Championship at the first time of asking last season, but lost out to Charlton in the League One play-off final.

Fortunes appeared to be changing at Sunderland for much of last season, they were in the automatic promtion places and looked among the favourites for promotion until they lost key man Josh Maja to Bordeaux in January.

Maja scored 16 goals in 30 appearances for Sunderland last season, and the Black Cats missed his goals in the latter part of the season as they tailed off to finish fifth.

Manager Jack Ross has a big job on his hands to improve Sunderland further. He has done well to stabilise the club but must now get rid of the dead wood and bring in players who can take the club to the next level.

One of those players could be Stewart Downing. The 34-year-old was released by Middlesbrough last week and Sunderland are one of the clubs reportedly interested.

Since that Wembley agony some Sunderland players have been enjoying time away, with some even getting engaged.

Here we look at some of the things they've shared across social media in our latest round-up.

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The Scottish midfielder announced his engagement to Leila Singh during a trip they took to Abu Dhabi in a romantic snap on Instagram.

The 26-year-old played 30 times for Sunderland last season and impressed throughout. He didn't play in the play-offs and that could have been a contributing factor to their defeat against Charlton.

The wedding bells have also been heard by Luke Molyneux, who posted this photo from his friends' wedding.

Molyneux spent the season on loan at two different loan clubs based in the north-east: Gateshead and Hartlepool. He faired well in the National League which can be a difficult division for young players to cut their teeth, particularly a winger.

He will have to make a big step up to force his way into a side aiming for promotion from League One, but he has proved he is willing to put in the hard work and he should make more appearances for the club he's been at since he was a kid.

O'Nien meanwhile has been reminiscing on the season just gone, and looking back on fond memories despite the season ultimately ending in disappointment in two competitions at Wembley.

The full-back has had a terrific season and didn't deserve to be on the losing side in two Wembley finals this season.

Nevertheless, in his caption of the post he is thinking optimistically about the season. He must be disappointed and must be looking forward to righting those wrongs next season.

Bali Mumba is certainly enjoying himself in the post-season, spending his time in the sun in Cyprus.

The youngster enjoyed another taste of first team football for Sunderland last season, appearing on eight occasions in total. But the last one came in January, and he has a lot to do if he is to fight his way into contention next year.

Glenn Loovens has been busy celebrating his girlfriend's birthday away in the sun.

The veteran defender could be winding down his career soon, having made just 13 appearances for Sunderland this season, and none in 2019.

He has enjoyed a great career in Britain, appearing for the likes of Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland fans likely hoped for more when they signed the defender, so he could be labelled a bit of a disappointment.