‘I managed Luke O’Nien, never in a million years did I expect this at Sunderland’
Luke O’Nien has had to make several sacrifices to make it at Sunderland.
Putting O’Nien’s red card against Man City aside, the 31-year-old remains a hero at Sunderland, and that all stems from his willingness to do whatever it takes.
A showcase of loyalty, grit and desire to succeed that Wearsiders have learned to adore. His reputation at the Stadium of Light wasn’t built on glamour as such, but mainly on his unbreakable spirit.
Joining from Wycombe seven years ago, O’Nien has never once shied away from the challenge at Sunderland, even while the Black Cats were wandering through the darkest chapters of their history.
Yet O’Nien is a Premier League footballer today, and had it not been for one specific sacrifice, he would never have made it here.
O’Nien’s transition from a League One midfielder to a Premier League centre-back
Given what has happened since, you’d be forgiven if you had forgotten that O’Nien was once a promising midfielder making his way through the English football leagues – a player full of infectious energy and a forward drive.
However, his move to Sunderland changed all of that, and that is what set him on his current trajectory.
What followed his arrival on Wearside was a transformation that no one saw coming. A mixture of injuries, tactical tweaks, and O’Nien’s inability to say ‘no’ to a challenge that comes his way saw him become a centre-back.
- Centre-back – 147 appearances
- Central midfield – 77 appearances
- Right-back – 70 appearances
- Defensive midfield – 66 appearances
- Right midfield – 18 appearances
- Left-back – Nine appearances
- Left midfield – Seven appearances
- Attacking midfield – Four appearances
And when that transition was realised – primarily through necessity – it stunned everyone, including Gordon Bartlett, who never saw his career panning out this way.
Bartlett, O’Nien’s former manager at Wealdstone, exclusively told Mackem News: “Never in a million years did he strike me as the type of player who could play at centre-back.
“Because of the physicality of it, I mean, he’s not the biggest, but he was the sort of fella who could probably play anywhere.
“So it surprises me in as much of what we had him as he was still young, didn’t see that in him, bundle of energy, you know, his skill set was tremendous, and he was always showing videos or doing things on the training pitch which you didn’t really see other people trying to do.
“He’d knock it into a basketball net from one end of the court to the other and just things like that. He worked so hard at his game.“
O’Nien could have a different role at Sunderland in the Premier League
Given the level of the forward Sunderland often face this season, and more importantly, the physicality, there will be some concerns over whether O’Nien can replicate his defensive success in the Premier League.
However, as he has done throughout his time on Wearside, O’Nien is more than capable of playing in different positions, and he may well have the necessary attributes to play a holding midfield role.
Some will doubt his ability to thrive at this level, but just as he did in the Championship, he will be looking to prove those claims wrong.
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