Exclusive:Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips delivers Luke O'Nien verdict after derby howler amid 'massive role' claim
Kevin Phillips has been speaking about Sunderland favourite Luke O’Nien.
Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has praised Luke O’Nien for the manner in which he recovered from his Tyne-Wear Derby mistake, and has backed the Black Cats stalwart to play a “massive role” at the club in the future.
The 31-year-old was at fault for Newcastle United’s opening goal at St. James’ Park last Sunday, botching a clearance that ultimately led to an Anthony Gordon strike. From there, however, O’Nien rallied to put in a typically battling display, helping his side to overturn the deficit and seal a memorable win over their bitter rivals.
And speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of Best Betting Sites, Phillips admitted that he expected nothing less from a player who is well on his way to becoming a modern Black Cats icon. He said: “It doesn’t surprise me how well he bounced back. I know Luke. I’ve spent time in his company. He’s a very confident, honest lad and, for him to make that mistake in the biggest game of the season, it can really affect you, but you saw in his response, his reaction, didn’t let it affect him.
“He brushed it off and went on and put in an unbelievable - you could almost say man of the match - performance, didn’t put a foot wrong afterwards. So it just shows you the character of the player.”
When asked for his thoughts on O’Nien’s role with Sunderland going forward, Phillips continued: “I see him having a massive role at the club. On and off the pitch. He’s the club captain. People respect him, and the biggest thing for me is he’s shown that he can play in the Premier League and he can play in an intense atmosphere. So I think he’s a big, big member of Sunderland’s squad moving forward for sure.”
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What did Luke O’Nien say after Sunderland’s derby win over Newcastle United?
For his part, O’Nien - who appeared noticeably relieved at the final whistle - delivered a typically forthright assessment of his error against Newcastle, while also detailing how his teammates helped him to overcome the setback.
He said: “There were moments throughout where we really had to show character - especially me when I gave them a goal. “I apologised to the lads after, but what I did say is I thank Granit [Xhaka], I thank the leaders in the group because they kept demanding the right thing.
“It’s a difficult, lonely place when you make a mistake, especially here. I took a few long throws and was getting abused for it, but I leant on the leaders there, and that meant a lot to me that I’ve got people like that I can lean on. To come out in the second half and just put that behind me and put in a performance to give us a platform to kick on - the leaders in there helped me in that big moment, and I’m very proud to have them in this team.”
O’Nien’s start against Newcastle was his 11th first team outing of the season, having missed the start of the campaign due a shoulder injury.
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