Luke O’Nien stunned by Sunderland academy footage – Could this be Regis Le Bris’ next star?
Luke O’Nien has crafted himself a legendary status at Sunderland after captaining his side back to the Premier League.
The 30-year-old started on Wearside when the club were languishing in League One and has played over 250 games for the Black Cats.
Now a veteran at the club, O’Nien has become a figure that players in Sunderland’s academy can look up to.
And his potential influence on Sunderland‘s youth setup looks to be paying off after scenes that unfolded in the Under-21s’ win over Burnley this week.
Timur Tutierov stuns after incredible solo goal against Burnley
Sunderland Under-21s beat Burnley 3-0 in a Premier League 2 tie on Monday, with Timur Tutierov bagging two goals in the game.
The two first-half goals from the Ukrainian gave the Mackems their first Premier League 2 win of the season.
The winger opened affairs with a piercing run from his own half and slotting the ball into the bottom right corner after leaving the Burnley defenders in the dust.
Commenting on the goal, Tutierov expressed how proud he was of it.
He said: “For my first goal, we actually had a bit of defending to do, and when Jenson [Jones] got the ball, I just thought I’d use my pace to get us up the pitch.
“From there, I just kept running, and I think it was a good goal.”
O’Nien then saw the footage of the goal on social media and took to his Instagram Story to respond, simply saying “wow” and tagging Tutierov.
The Ukrainian has been at the Stadium of Light since 2023, when he transferred from his native club Kolos Kovalivka.
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Sunderland’s academy returning to its best
In recent years, Sunderland have been focused on returning to the Premier League, which meant there was not too much emphasis placed on youth development.
During their last period in the Premier League, the Black Cats produced notable talent that they were able to profit from.
| Jordan Pickford | 79 apperances | 1998-2011 |
| Jordan Henderson | 35 appearances | 2002-2017 |
Both Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson were sold for profitable sums as they were able to showcase their quality in the Premier League.
Currently, the club have academy graduate Chris Rigg as a first team starting player, and in the summer they sold Tommy Watson to Brighton and Hove Albion – famously known for scoring the winning goal in the 2025 Championship play-off final.
With Sunderland now back in the big time, more players from the youth setup could make a name for themselves in senior football.
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