'About five times...': How Sunderland's new signings have already made an impression on Luke O'Nien

Luke O'Nien is looking forward to watching Sunderland's summer signings make their mark - after witnessing their talent first hand in training.

Hemir marked his first appearance in a red-and-white shirt against South Shields on Saturday, with Jobe Bellingham featuring at Gateshead later in the day.

Nectar Triantis joined pre-season training on Monday ahead of his debut in the upcoming US tour, while Jenson Seelt is expected to be fully recovered from ankle problem in the near future.

Hemir and Bellingham have made a strong first impression in training, with O'Nien joking that he had already been on the receiving end of multiple nutmegs.

“They’ve been really good," O'Nien said.

"The big man [Hemir] has adapted well. We’ve done quite a lot of running this pre-season, and for a big lad, he’s put everything into it, which is what you want to see. Jobe has a lot of quality. I think he’s already done about five nutmegs on me.

"The way he goes around the pitch, his ball manipulations, his quality is clear to see, and as characters, they’ll bring a lot of value to the squad. There’s a lot more people going to be in the States too, and it’s good to have them in. I’m just looking forward to seeing them grow into the players they’re going to be.

"The team is evolving," he added.

"From the day I joined to where we are now, we’ve been evolving with new players in and new styles. We’re in a good place. I’m really enjoying it, I think all the boys are enjoying it, and I think these pre-season games are good because we’re all getting to know each other.

"We want to be singing from the same hymn sheet at the start of the season, and pre-season is important in that."

Sunderland's squad in the US will also feature a number of young players, as a handful of senior absentees stay on Wearside to step up their respective comebacks from injury.

Chris Rigg is expected to travel, as is Ben Crompton who partnered Luke O'Nien at South Shields on Saturday. O'Nien believes there a group of talented players knocking on the door for first-team inclusion this season.

“I thought Ben at the back was really, really good," O'Nien said.

"He’s done well in training. The way he’s grown and adapted to first-team life has been really impressive and he’s done really well. It’ll be good to see him keep that going.

"Riggy has been brilliant from the moment he joined us last year. It’s a big step to the first team, but he plays exactly the same every day, in training, in matches, whatever.

"A lot of the young lads are coming forward and knocking on the door, and I think that’s brilliant for the club. We’re seeing these players come through, hopefully to the first team, and that’s only going to serve the club well in the future. I’m looking forward to learning from them as well as trying to help them grow."