Luke O’Nien opens up on Sunderland struggles and details why he threw his boots into a lake
Luke O’Nien has revealed the emotional toll of his Sunderland battle and why his boots remain at the bottom of the training-ground lake
Luke O’Nien has opened up on the emotional toll of fighting for his Sunderland place after revealing that he threw his football boots into a lake at the club’s training ground.
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, O’Nien discussed his difficult return from shoulder surgery and the challenge of forcing his way into Régis Le Bris’ significantly strengthened Premier League squad.
“I started the Premier League season three months after everyone else. I had shoulder surgery, but then I did my rehab in the off-season. Little did I know that the club would spend £150million, £180million on some unbelievably talented players.
“When I got back, I think I was 10th in the pecking order in the toughest league in the world. And I was like, okay, at first it was like, let’s go. And I started to just attack it. And then the squad would come out, wouldn’t be in the squad. So I was like, I need to get in the squad. Let’s break it down.
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“Let’s get back in the squad. Eventually got in the squad, and I sat on the bench, and I just couldn’t get in the team. It wasn’t till December, I think I made my Premier League debut. And it just went on for so long that, yeah, I cracked. I had a session where I got tackled. My shoulder nearly came out, and I just cried because I thought my whole rehab flashed before my eyes again. I was like, don’t cry.
“Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine. And then I just let it all out. I went for a walk around the training ground, and there we had a lake at the training ground. I sat in the lake with my feet in the lake for two hours, just let out all my emotions. The part that one of the boys laughs at, and I’m going to tell him that because he’s going to laugh at this point. I threw my boots in the lake. Yeah, I can hear you laughing. My boots are at the bottom of the lake at the training ground.”