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Luke O'Nien Deserves Sunderland Start Vs Ipswich Town Amid Regis Le Bris' Injury Woes
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- Luke O'Nien Deserves Sunderland Start Vs Ipswich Town Amid Regis Le Bris' Injury Woes
Luke O'Nien deserves to start for Sunderland on opening day at Ipswich Town
If ever there was a player to encapsulate the rollercoaster of Sunderland in the last few years, it is club captain Luke O'Nien.
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O'Nien arrived in the dreadful days of League One and has seen the Black Cats earn two promotions in his eight-year association with Sunderland , with the most recent season culminating in the defender helping his side over the line into Europa League qualification.
In the penultimate game of their pre-season preparations, Sunderland beat Ligue 1 giants RC Lens 2-0 on Saturday, with O'Nien impressing at the left centre-back role in place of the injured Omar Alderete , who is recovering from a knee issue following his efforts at the World Cup for Paraguay .
O'Nien has been one of the standout performers for Sunderland throughout pre-season, and has continued his stellar vein of form that he concluded last year's campaign with in the heart of defence for the Black Cats.
As a result, with the 2026/27 Premier League campaign curtain-raiser at Ipswich Town less than two weeks away for Sunderland, O'Nien is in line to start under Regis Le Bris at Portman Road on Saturday 22nd August.
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And rightly so.
Luke O'Nien for Sunderland vs Leeds United in pre-seasn (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Why Luke O'Nien Deserves To Start For Sunderland Vs Ipswich
As seen throughout pre-season, O'Nien has picked up where he left off for Sunderland at the end of last term, with his form at the decisive late stages proving pivotal to the Black Cats' remarkable finish and European qualification.
In the penultimate game of last season, the Sunderland stalwart was introduced from the bench in the first half at Everton in place of injured Alderete, and his defensive efforts were imperative to Le Bris' side's 3-1 comeback victory.
Following that, Le Bris justly kept the Englishman in the starting XI for the final-day visit of Chelsea , during which O'Nien notched an assist for Trai Hume 's opener in another mammoth display to see Sunderland secure seventh place.
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After some difficult moments last season, with an instant dismissal against Manchester City , a high-profile error at arch-rivals Newcastle United , and one moment seeing O'Nien emotionally throw his boots into a lake at Sunderland's training ground , the Stadium of Light fan-favourite has proven his doubters wrong and shown he has the credentials to be a Premier League starter.
Throughout his years on Wearside, doubters have placed question marks over his ability and whether his place in the Sunderland XI is warranted, and now the defender is set to start the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Despite him being affectionately known as 'Mr. Sunderland' in red-and-white circles, his potential start at Portman Road would be earned on merit, not on sentiment or emotion.
His comfort in possession and developed defensive maturity following Sunderland's promotion to the top flight, combined with his pre-season form, has primed O'Nien to start the upcoming campaign for Le Bris, who can now cautiously bring Alderete back into the fold as a result of his counterpart's displays of late.
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Not only is this the sentiment from the Sunderland supporters, but Black Cats boss Le Bris also agrees.
Regis Le Bris Drops Luke O'Nien Sunderland Selection Hint
Sunderland have been linked with central defenders throughout the summer transfer window, but with this not being a priority position for the Black Cats to strengthen in, Le Bris has outlined that O'Nien is in line to start at Ipswich next Saturday.
As quoted by the Sunderland Echo , Le Bris said: "Luke now has one year in the Premier League. When we first started last season, we didn't know [how he would fare].
"Now we know he's ready to be competitive in that league. He's an excellent club captain, and he's very good on the pitch, so it's very positive for us ahead of the season."
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With Nordi Mukiele also unlikely to start at Ipswich as he recovers from a recent minor injury issue, it paves the way for O'Nien to start alongside summer free agent signing Thomas Meunier , with the duo impressing together in the first half at Lens.
