Luke's versatility has left a lasting impression on coach Johnson
Luke O'Nien's move into midfield has made a positive impression on Lee Johnson, even if the head coach intends to make the most of his versatility in the weeks and months ahead.
O'Nien has been used in midfield in all of his appearances under Johnson so far, though the switch was initially in no small part due to the fact that the 26-yearold's recovery from a shoulder problem left him unable to take throw ins.
That changed in last Tuesday's Papa John's Trophy win over MK Dons.
O'Nien earned a starting role in midfield on merit and though an injury to Callum McFadzean forced him to left-back before the first half was even concluded, his performance before then had made an impression on Johnson.
He retained that role for the league fixture and though the team struggled for control in parts of the first half, O'Nien's secondhalf goal helped the Black Cats earn a point.
"He had impressed me on Tuesday, just his all-action nature, his competitive spirit," Johnson said.
"Technically he impressed me, he is quite unorthodox in his style but he gets it there and he gets it there early.
"A lot of the characteristics a player needs in any position, Luke has got.
"You want your personality as a manager to come across on the pitch, I think, and players like Luke and [Josh] Scowen epitomise that with their ability to be all-action.
"I had to apologise to him on the Tuesday night when I put him to left back, because
I wanted to keep him in midfield where possible, but he was the best option."
Johnson is eager in the long run to settle on a best position for O'Nien, but is aware that he will need to rotate his options due to a punishing fixture schedule.
That means he is reluctant to confirm that the 26-year-old's move up the pitch is permanent.
Max Power has been playing at right back in recent weeks, while Conor McLaughlin is nearing a return following a hernia operation.
"Given the strength and depth of the squad at the moment, I'd imagine Luke would be happy to play anywhere," Johnson said.
"He'd probably play in goal if we let him, I'm sure he'd be flying around.
"I honestly have to take each game and each moment within it on its merits at the moment.
"I think if I try and premeditate too many things and go public with it then you back yourself into a corner.
"The challenge for me with Luke is to channel his enthusiasm into the right areas.
"His enthusiasm and desire to get better is fantastic and it's about channeling that so when he is doing his extras, he's doing it in the right way."
Josh Scowen was likely to be in contention for a starting berth last night at Shrewsbury Town, having replaced O'Nien late in the 2-2 draw on Saturday.
Johnson said he felt Scowen had looked fatigued in the Papa John's Trophy game days previous.
Carl Winchester was absent with a groin injury, while Tom Flanagan was a doubt after pulling out of Saturday's game with a calf issue.
In the build-up to Sunderland's league fixture at MK Dons, Lee Johnson had prepared a video for his players.
It featured some of the goals they had scored in his nascent tenure; goals specifically selected because they highlighted the speed and bravery in transition that he hopes to make the hallmark of his side.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Johnson noted that with the right choice of music, the whole thing could be quite emotional.
Sunderland's head coach knows as well as anyone that progress since his arrival has not been linear. Saturday's frustrating draw captured that perfectly. There was some quick, exciting football on show, particularly in a strong second-half showing. There was also a 20-minute period where the Black Cats looked like they would be entirely overwhelmed.
Through decent stretches of games they have looked laboured, constrained by many of the same shortcomings that affected both of Johnson’s predecessors.
There are many good reasons for this.
For one, Johnson has been tasked with implementing a new playing philosophy from which everything stems from a co-ordinated and high-intensity pressing game.
To introduce this with consistent results requires above all else time on the training ground. This has been virtually non-existent, due initially to the COVID-19 outbreak that forced the closing of the Academy of Light, and then the fixture pile-up that has inevitably followed.
It also requires a squad built specifically to execute it's demands, and here it seems clear that Johnson will need a summer overhaul to fully realise his vision.
With the number of players out of contract at the end of the campaign exceeding 20, this feels as if it will be the vital juncture in Johnson's revolution.
January is a notoriously difficult window to begin with, never mind when accounting for the difficulties caused by the pandemic and the hugely controversial salary cap rules introduced last summer.
Even then, it was encouraging to see the business done fit in with Johnson's stated vision to make his squad sharper and more attacking.
Add into the mix the increased gametime for Aiden McGeady and Jack Diamond, and it is possible to feel optimistic about a vision starting to be realised even if the football remains not wholly convincing from game to game.
This, though, is the odd thing about Sunderland's so far very velvet revolution: no one can really talk about it.
Key figures can vaguely discuss the long-term aspirations and direction of travel, but the final confirmation of the takeover led by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus remains elusive.
Sunderlandannouncedon Christmas Eve that a deal had been agreed for Louis-Dreyfus to become the majority shareholder, and that they hoped it would be confirmed midway through January.
That we are still waiting for that is not necessarily cause for concern in itself.
Even in that initial statement, Sunderland noted the unique demands the EFL are facing at the moment, an early warning that there could be no guarantee of a swift resolution.
The tests approving new ownership have quite rightly been significantly tightened and there seems to remain a sense of calm and confidence that the deal will be ratified as planned.
Johnson has been totally becalmed when pressed on the matter in his media briefings, confident that everything behind the scenes suggests all is on track.
Despite the initially awkward exchanges on his arrival, when the deal’s final negotiations meant he could not discuss it in public, he is now happy to cite the pending takeover as one reason for optimism when looking to the future.
That there is an edginess in the fanbase is entirely understandable, when the current ownership group have twice been on the brink of selling the club before collapse (though admittedly, it has never got as far as an official club statement).
It is widely known that Johnson’s arrival was ultimately Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman’s call, who in turn arrived as the central figure in what will be a major change in direction under Louis-Dreyfus.
Speakman has been tasked with modernising all aspects of the club’s footballing operation, from first-team recruitment to a rebuild of the academy structures.
There have already been some encouraging signs, with many behind the scenes impressed with his early contributions. Above all else, the daily presence and attention he brings to the role is welcome after the first two years of the Madrox era.
There was one transfer deal last week that spoke to a significantly improved structure in place.
The deal to loan out Elliot Embleton was an initially divisive one, and a surprise given that Sunderland’s stance at the beginning of the window was that the 21-year-old would be going nowhere.
The statement confirming his switch to Blackpool offered an immediate and measured explanation from Speakman, confirming that the club had made a move to protect their asset by extending his contract for a year.
Johnson offered his assessment a day later and what initially looked like a confusing move began to have an ongoing logic.
Debate will continue over whether it was the right call (and the ongoing fear here is that creativity in central areas still looks to be lacking from this squad), but it is at least one that has been made with due care and attention.
Generally, though, Speakman’s public profile has been low-key. He has spoken eloquently and convincingly about his brief on the club’s podcast but there is little doubt that confirmation of Louis-Dreyfus’ takeover is going to be key to his work.
It leaves both he and Johnson in a curious position as they start out on what they hope will be a long and fruitful transformation of the team.
When Phil Parkinson was appointed as Manager, it was made abundantly clear that the one and only goal was promotion.
Johnson is expected to deliver that, too, and yet the suggestions from all key figures behind the scenes is that there will be key other metrics that he is expected to perform well in.
He will live and die by results as all head coaches and managers do, but he will also be judged on his ability to introduce a defined style of play and within that, to improve academy and senior players to the point where they become major assets for the club.
Development is at the heart of the Louis-Dreyfus strategy which is why Speakman was given a job that is often handed to someone with a background primarily in recruitment.
These are long-term goals, requiring time and patience.
The takeover makes the debate around that challenging because it is obvious that in order to succeed, both will require significant investment that seems unlikely to be forthcoming without Louis-Dreyfus.
Speakman, for example, needs to rebuild a recruitment team almost entirely from scratch and over six months after his departure, Paul Reid has still not been replaced as Academy Manager.
A scepticism will remain until the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed because so much of this new vision runs directly at odds with the experience of the last two-and-a-half years, where short-termism has defined just every move of the Madrox tenure.
You can already begin to see Sunderland working towards creating a quicker, more athletic side, bringing down the average age of the squad and the starting XI.
All of this is long overdue and yet for now, many supporters remain understandably concerned that the project ultimately is still in the hands of a regime they no longer trust.
Welcome change may well have begun, but the most important piece of the puzzle is yet to be put in place.