Sunderland ‘to ramp up centre-back search’ after O’Nien injury update
Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League came at the cost of an injury to Luke O’Nien.
The Black Cats returned to the Premier League after an eight-year absence with a 2-1 victory in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United.
However, O’Nien was a casualty of the victory, as the defender came off at Wembley with a dislocated shoulder in the opening minutes.
After successfully completing surgery to repair the injury, Sunderland have provided an update on the centre-back ahead of their first pre-season game.
O’Nien set to miss start of new Premier League season
O’Nien’s injury will leave him sidelined going into the new season.
In an injury update ahead of their game against South Shields, Sunderland have confirmed that four of their stars will not take part in pre-season.
The English defender and Aji Alese are both recovering well from shoulder surgery, while Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde are recovering from wrist and Achilles injuries respectively.
All four are expected to miss Sunderland’s first three Premier League fixtures, before returning to action after the September international break.
Habib Diarra is the only summer signing expected to make his debut at the 1st Cloud Arena, as Noah Sadiki and Chemsdine Talbi await international clearance.
Most recent signing Simon Adingra will also not take part in the game against South Shields, whilst Reinildo will not join up with the squad until after the Black Cats return from Portugal, having competed at the Club World Cup with Atletico Madrid.
Sunderland need extra defensive cover
Sunderland have done incredible business so far, being one of the most active sides in the window, spending close to £100million.
However, more business needs to be done to help their survival hopes, with Regis Le Bris’ side remaining favourites for the drop.
Central defenders should be their next goal, with Nayef Aguerd linked with a move to Wearside.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets |
| La Liga | 21 | 14 | 11 |
Aguerd would bring experience to a young Sunderland team, and provide back-up should Dan Ballard or O’Nien get injured.
With O’Nien out, as well as other centre-backs, it is quite clear that the immediate transfer focus right now needs to be on acquiring a Premier League-ready player for that position.
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