Jack Ross admits clubs want to sign Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien

Follow us on Google Discover

Luke O’Nien has become a key player at League One Sunderland since moving to the Stadium of Light from Wycombe Wanderers.

Sunderland manager Jack Ross has admitted that he is not surprised that Luke O’Nien is starting to attract admiring glances from further up the Football League, speaking to the Chronicle.

Black Cats owner Stewart Donald told the Roker Report in June that Sunderland had received an offer for their Mr Reliable, believed to be from Championship newcomers Luton Town, but the League One giants were never going to sell a player who grew in stature during his debut season on Wearisde.

O’Nien arrived as a midfielder in the summer of 2018 but he has shone in a variety of positions over the last 12 months or so, even making the right-back role his own during the second half of the campaign.

The 24-year-old might not be the most technically gifted footballer in Ross’s squad but it’s his commendable work rate and adaptability that has made him one of the first names on the team sheet.

It’s no wonder that the manager is a fan.

“We want to keep Luke as long as possible,” said Ross. “We have had interest in him from other clubs and that does not surprise me because he is a good all-round footballer, whose improvement has been really good and he will continue to get better.

“He’s just my type of player, full-stop. “His appetite for the game, his work-rate, allied to the fact that he is a good player.

“He’s an example not only for players who come here, but also for players who are coming through from the academy.”

The Chronicle claims that Sunderland paid a ‘modest fee’ for O’Nien a year ago with the former Watford youngster becoming the epitome of a new-look transfer strategy for a club who have had their fair share of big-money flops over the years.

Conor McLaughlin, Ryan Burge, Joel Lynch and the excellent Jordan Willis all joined Sunderland on free transfers over the summer with the club reaping rewards for a more intelligent, joined-up strategy.