How Luke O'Nien reacted to Swansea red card and which Sunderland player he's been learning from for years

The 28-year-old was in good form playing as a centre-back before a red card against Swansea resulted in a three-match suspension.

O’Nien returned to Sunderland’s starting XI for their 3-0 win at QPR, where he scored the game’s opening goal while playing in a central midfield position.

When asked about his time out of the side, O’Nien told the Echo: “I just became a fan. I just became a fan of the boys and used it to my advantage.

“I apologised to the boys, they made me contribute a lot to the fines and the changing rooms, coffees and whatnot.

“I used the period to make sure I came back a better player. I built power with the sports scientist team and they gave me an individualised programme.

“I trained as hard as I could to help the boys so when I did get back I could take the opportunity, help them and repay them for my mistake.

“Listen we are all going to make mistakes and it’s just how we bounce back from it and so far so good.”

O’Nien has predominantly played as a centre-back this season but has always said he’s happy to play anywhere for the team.

And while a return to midfield may have been challenging earlier in his career, O’Nien feels he’s well prepared to play in different roles, while he regularly looks back at in-game clips with Sunderland’s assistant head coach Mark Venus.

“The way I break down the game, I see it as I have to go out and make decisions,” O’Nien replied when asked about moving from centre-back to centre midfield. “I think me as a younger player here would have maybe not have adapted as well as I have now in some games.

“I’m not going to get it right all the time but I have really good people helping me.

“I just know that whatever position I play, the same with everybody, we just have to make the best decisions we can. If it goes wrong you move onto the next decision.

“I just keep trying to make better decisions for the team and when we get back to the training ground me and Veno will be watching the clips back, we talk about it as a team as well some of the clips and how we can improve.”

O’Nien says he’s also been learning from players such as 21-year-old Dan Neil, who has been a regular starter this campaign.

“We have people like Dan Neil who has led the way all this season in midfield,” O’Nien added. “He’s some player. In training he sends me for hotdogs every single time and drops me with a stepover.

“Dan Neil is, I'm not sure how much younger than me, four, five, six years, and he’s been teaching me for the last two or three years.

“Having people like that who have come on and changed the game again, and then week in, week out is delivering with his performances is credit to him.

“He’s got to keep setting the standards that we are looking to match.”