Sunderland man Dan Neil details classy Luke O’Nien move after Régis Le Bris’ captaincy shuffle
Dan Neil has detailed how Luke O’Nien has supported him after a major leadership reshuffle last summer
Dan Neil has detailed how Luke O’Nien has been helping him with the captaincy at Sunderland after last summer’s leadership reshuffle.
Corry Evans was captain last season but with the midfielder ruled out for the majority of the season, the armband fell to Luke O’Nien under Tony Mowbray, Michael Beale and Mike Doods as Sunderland finished 16th in the Championship.
Following Evans’ departure after the end of his contract last summer, many had expected O’Nien to wear the armband once again this campaign. However, head coach Régis Le Bris opted to shuffle his pack, naming Neil as his team captain for the 2024-25 season.
O’Nien, though, was named as part of Sunderland’s leadership group alongside Alan Browne and Jobe Bellingham and performs the role of club captain. That means that although he doesn’t wear the armband on the field but off the field, the defender is still influential.
Captaincy matters and changes have been known to destabilise some teams and cause issues when there are changes. At Sunderland, however, Neil has revealed that O’Nien has been supportive of his new role and has moved to help the 22-year-old whichever way he can.
“It’s a massive honour and I don’t take it lightly,” Neil said when asked about how it feels to captain his boyhood club by The Echo. “Whenever I’m walking the lads out on a match day, speaking in the huddle before the game, speaking after the game.
