Sunderland Echo

I’d Luke to play O’Nien in midfield – his best is yet to come...

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It was great to see Luke O’Nien back in action on Saturday, although it wasn’t long enough to affect the game. O’Nien is a player – as Lee Johnson has alluded to recently – who has the issue of not having a fixed position.

I have spoken about this before and over the next few weeks Johnson will have the dilemma of where he will play O’Nien, or if he will play him at all.

Max Power has been filling in at right-back, where O’Nien has played most of his football since his arrival at the club. If it was a choice between the pair, I would feel more comfortabl­e having O’Nien back in, as he has never let the club down when called upon there.

However, Johnson has said that he can’t play him there, as throwing the ball is out of the equation at the minute due to issues with his shoulder.

I’d like to see O’Nien given a run in an advanced midfield position.

He has bundles of energy and runs forward well. He came to the club as a midfielder and we have not seen enough of him in there to make a real judgement on his credential­s.

I feel he would offer a real goal threat with late runs into the box, something that isn’t consistent­ly there at the moment in the team.

This current Sunderland squad is a better team when he plays, so for me Johnson needs to find a position for him in the team. As well as he has done, I feel if he plays further forward, the best is yet to come from him.

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