Sunderland play Barnsley on Tuesday and travel back to Walsall for an FA Cup tie on Saturday afternoon.
Sunderland signed midfielder Luke O’Nien from Wycombe Wanderers ahead of their League One campaign and prior to his arrival, the 24-year-old looked like an excellent acquisition.
Jack Ross made 12 additions to his squad for their third-tier campaign and one of the strongest areas in the Black Cats’ side remains central midfield – which is part of the reason as to why O’Nien hasn’t nailed down his spot yet.
The man from Hemel Hempstead has been featuring a lot more as of late in the absence of the injured Lee Cattermole and Dylan McGeouch, but his appearances have only been from the bench.
And with games scheduled on Tuesday against Barnsley in the league and Saturday against Walsall in the FA Cup, O’Nien is more than deserving of a start in at least one of those matches after his recent impact from the bench.
The former Chairboys player changed the game when he came on against Walsall last weekend, playing a big part in setting up the equaliser late on at the Bescot Stadium.
And it wasn’t just his impact with the ball which has made him popular on Wearside, with his celebration in the Black Cats away end also having won over the Sunderland fans.
O’Nien will have to grab his chance with both hands though, especially with captain George Honeyman in good form and Max Power’s red card having now been rescinded – meaning he will be eligible to start in both matches this week.
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