O’Nien is Luke-ing good at the back
JACK Ross has adopted an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to fans calling for Luke O’Nien to be pushed forward into midfield.
O’Nien has impressed since being drafted into the Sunderland side at right-back in December, winning the fans’ vote for player of the month in December and January.
But O’Nien’s form has led to some supporters questioning why Ross has not moved the 24-year-old into his natural position in midfield.
O’Nien was given chances in midfield earlier in the season but rarely stood out, and Ross does not see the point in moving him now when he is performing well in defence.
“The fans have voted Luke player of the month for two months in a row playing at right-back,” said Ross, whose side take on Walsall at the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
“It doesn’t make sense when you scratch below the surface.
“I don’t think Luke won player of the month, in the fans’ eyes, playing in midfield earlier in the season but he has done at full-back – so let’s move him from full-back into midfield.
“Then if he doesn’t play well in midfield, it’ll be ‘move him back to fullback.’
“Luke still has a lot to learn in that [midfield] role and I think you could see that in some of the games because there were some where he was effective, and some where he was not so effective.
“I’ve never really pigeon-holed him. On Tuesday evening at Barnsley, I thought he did well in the main defensively against one of their best players because Mamadou Thiam is a handful to play against.
“He had a difficult start but after that he competed really well.” With right-back Adam Matthews available, and left-backs Denver Hume and Reece James having recovered from injuries, Ross does now have the option of moving O’Nien into midfield and revealed that he did consider doing so during the goalless draw at Barnsley.
He said: “It was something that went through my head on Tuesday to do that but then you are making a lot of changes to a back four that was keeping a clean sheet and looked relatively solid.
“If I had done that, and we’d conceded, I’d have got pelters as well!”
Ross is looking to find ways to better support frontman Will Grigg during a spell when three players capable of fulfilling that role – George Honeyman, Chris Maguire, and Duncan Watmore – are all missing.
Honeyman is suspended while Maguire is injured and Watmore has been ruled out for the rest of the season with ankle ligament damage.
“It’s not ideal because they are all forward-going players,” said Ross.
“They are all different, but they all give you something going forward.
“There is no like-for-like replacement in our squad for Duncan, or for Chris either. George gives us versatility because he is able to play off the side. We have players who can operate in behind and in and around the striker, and it is just unfortunate that all of those are ruled out at the same time. Even if we had one of the three available it would be helpful.”
Grigg has scored just two goals in nine games since his £4m deadline day arrival in January, and his only goal in the league so far came from the penalty spot.
But Ross has no complaints about the former Wigan man’s all-round performances, and remains confident that he will get the goals Sunderland need in their promotion push.
He said: “In general, I have been pleased with how he has played.
“Tuesday was maybe one of his quieter games since he came to the club but it wasn’t an easy game to play in, and for a striker to deal with balls that were either underhit because of the wind or overhit because of the wind.
“It wasn’t an ideal night for him.”
The fans have voted Luke player of the month for two months in a row playing at right-back Jack Ross