LUKE O’NIEN could leave Sunderland on loan this month, although Regis Le Bris admits the defender’s off-field importance will be a key consideration when considering his fate in the second half of the season.
O’Nien was a key performer as the Black Cats won promotion from the Championship last term, but the 31-year-old has barely featured in the top-flight.
He was sidelined for the first three months of the season after undergoing surgery on the shoulder injury sustained in the opening few minutes of the play-off final, and then when he returned to full fitness, he was sent off in his second substitute appearance as a Premier League player at Manchester City.
That ruled him out of the next three games, and while he available for this month’s matches against Manchester City and Tottenham, he was an unused substitute in both games.
He has been linked with a potential January loan move, and while Birmingham City this week distanced themselves from reports suggesting he was set for a switch to St Andrew’s, a number of Championship clubs are understood to have expressed an interest in signing O’Nien, who can play as a centre-half, full-back or in midfield.
There appears to be little chance of O’Nien securing regular first-team football with Sunderland in the second half of the season, with the imminent return of the club’s AFCON contingent set to represent a further barrier to a place in the team, so sanctioning a loan move would make sense.
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However, O’Nien is a key figure in Sunderland’s dressing room and continued to play an important leadership role throughout his absence through injury, a consideration Le Bris will be mindful of when he discusses what will happen this month.
“We have to think about everything with him [O’Nien],” said the Black Cats boss, ahead of this evening’s game at Brentford. “It is not only about game time, it is about the work that goes on behind the scenes and everything else that is important there.
“It is a tough balance. Sometimes, a player can have an ambition on one side of wanting to play, but then on the other side we might know how important they can be in the dressing room. That will be part of the discussion, definitely.”
O’Nien is not the only fringe player who could be leaving on loan this month. Dan Neil, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season, is another former regular who has been touted for a potential loan move. Like O’Nien, he has been a bit-part performer at best this season, with his Premier League involvement limited to just two brief substitute appearances.
Anthony Patterson could also be heading away from Wearside this month, although as the current second-choice goalkeeper, he would have to be replaced if he was to leave on either a temporary or permanent basis.
“We will have conversations with everyone who has been having less game time,” said Le Bris. “It’s always really open. Everything has to be discussed because, at the end of the transfer window, it is better to avoid frustrations. The conversations will take place, and then after that, we will decide.”
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