Dan Ballard's impending return to fitness will not see Luke O'Nien recast as a midfielder - with Tony Mowbray insisting he views O'Nien primarily as a defensive option. Summer signing Ballard made a fine start to the season in central defence but has been out of action since breaking a bone in his foot in August, although he took a significant step towards a comeback when he played for an hour in Sunderland U21s' win at Reading on Monday.
O'Nien had started the season playing in midfield but, in Ballard's absence, O'Nien has started every game - aside from one he missed through suspension - in defence, with almost all of those appearances coming at centre-back and most recently alongside the ever-present Danny Batth in a back four. Ever since O'Nien arrived at Sunderland in the summer of 2018, there has been a debate over his best position with the 28-year-old having joined as a defensive midfielder but going on to play at various times under different head coaches in central defence, both full-back roles, both wing-back roles, and as an attacking midfielder.
But Mowbray has used O'Nien mainly at centre-back, with the only exception coming when he was shifted to right-back for a three-game stint when Lynden Gooch was injured in late October and early November. And he now sees O'Nien as a defender who can be used in midfield if necessary, rather than a midfielder capable of playing in defence.
