Kevin Phillips believes Luke O'Nien's return from injury will be a "big boost" ahead of the second half of the season.
O'Nien has missed a large part of the campaign with a recurring shoulder injury, but is in line to return sooner than expected.
Speaking to the media last week, Sunderland boss Lee Johnson said: “If you listen to Luke, he wants to come back quicker than anyone ever has from an injury like his, and I wouldn’t put it past him.
