Luke O'Nien identifies the Sunderland standard-setters who are 'instrumental' in rapid progress

While the Sunderland recruitment team, fairly, get a lot of praise, Luke O'Nien has revealed which players are 'instrumental' behind the scenes.

Author:
Michael Graham
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2023 6:48 AM EST

Luke O’Nien has described experienced duo Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard as ‘instrumental’ in the club’s continued progress.

For most of the season it has been the club’s vast array of younger players who have taken the acclaim, and developing talent is quickly becoming what the club is known for.

However, there are also some older players who provide the leadership from within the squad. O’Nien is almost between both camps, but he says no one should be underestimating the role the veteran players play, as well as the likes of Amad Diallo who has already played at the top.

Speaking about how fast Sunderland have progressed of late, O’Nien said: "I think that's credit to the whole of Sunderland, from the recruitment team to people upstairs and the staff as well, who work really, really hard with the players.

“It's a real good marker to see how far we've come that we've come here [to QPR] and put in a really good performance.

"Well done to everyone at Sunderland and we just have to keep going, driving the standards. It helps when you have people like Pritch, Amad, DB, those people at the back who have been to the very, very top.

"They are instrumental in the changing room and the things that people don't see. They set the standard in training and I think they've brought everyone's, including myself, performances up.

"When you play with that intensity and class week, in week out in training it can only make you a better player, so I think credit goes to a lot of the senior players and Amad, players that just keep raising the standard.

“I think everyone is just looking to improve off one another and you can see that in the team's performance."

Pritchard and Batth were both part of the team that got Sunderland out of League One, which ended the darkest era in the club’s entire history.

O’Nien was one of the few players to see the whole four years in League One and, while he acknowledges there were many disappointments along the way, he says the foundations of Sunderland’s success at the moment were being laid during that time.

"I think whatever happens in football you just have to pick yourself up and keep going again,” O'Nien said

"That is what we've all done. We didn't have the success we wanted in the past as quickly as we wanted it, but I think that teaches us the lessons that we're thriving on this season.

"We never dismiss history and I have always said it's the making of spending so long in League One that you rebuild, build stronger foundations, and make sure it's only up from here.

“The team that started in the Championship this season, I think we've come a long way, but I think there's still a lot further we can go which is good.

"We are a very ambitious team, we know we can do more and keep getting better and that's what we're striving for when we step across the line at the training ground or on the pitch."

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