THE sight of Luke O'Nien hobbling off in the late stages of the defeat to Sheffield United was a concern for Tony Mowbray.

O'Nien had to be replaced by Pierre Ekwah late on but Mowbray hopes the defender was just feeling the after-effects of a heavy challenge rather than having suffered an injury that could rule him out for any length of time.

Sunderland medics will closely monitor O'Nien over the next 24 hours.

"I don't know, it's a bit early," said Mowbray when quizzed on O'Nien after the game.

"I think it was just a kick and a clash, and yet it is a bit concerning because Luke O'Nien isn't somebody who would be hobbling about or staying down from an injury, so we'll see over the next day or two."

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Mowbray hopes to welcome Amad Diallo back into his squad for Saturday's visit of Luton Town but isn't sure at this stage whether the Manchester United loanee will be ready to return.

He said: "I hope he'll be back at the weekend. Expect, I'm not sure. In my mind he'll need to train Thursday and Friday if he's going to be available to start.

"If he misses Thursday and trains Friday he might be available on the bench. I'll have to talk to him and see how he feels.

"Again, I'm not here making excuses. It feels like there are some pretty important players unavailable and we're trying to make a fist of it."