Sunderland: Luke O'Nien, Watford comments a reminder of impressive trajectory: View | OneFootball

Luke O'Nien's recent post on 'X' is a timely reminder of his incredible rise from Watford reject to Sunderland captain.

Luke O'Nien's journey in football has been nothing short of admirable. The Sunderland captain recently opened up on social media platform, 'X', describing the challenges he faced during his early career.

The harsh reality for most footballers is that the odds are against them. In 2021, iNews reported that a staggering '98% of players who became full-time scholars, aged 16, will be released or have dropped out of football entirely by the age of 21.'

At age 20, it seemed that O'Nien was destined to defy that statistic, having already made his first senior appearance for Watford, albeit a cameo appearance from the bench. However, in 2015, O'Nien discovered his cruel fate, as he was released by the club he had been at his entire childhood. At this critical moment, O'Nien began his remarkable journey from Watford reject to Sunderland captain.

O'Nien rejected by Watford

Having spent 13 years at Watford, O'Nien was brutally released by his boyhood club, Watford. As revealed on his 'X' account, the Englishman discovered the news via his father, rather than the club. O'Nien was led to believe that he was to be offered a new one-year contract with the Hornets, but was left rightly devastated by the news. The player received no feedback from the club and was left to forge his own path, like so many others.

He could have thrown in the towel and nobody would have blamed him, but that is not in O'Nien's nature. Rather than taking a holiday, he grafted, and with the help of a recommendation from his former manager at Wealdstone, where he played on loan, he secured himself a trial at Wycombe Wanderers. O'Nien was not going to let the opportunity pass him by and secured a one-year deal with the then League Two side.

Grafting at Wycombe

During his first season at Wycombe, O'Nien made 35 League Two appearances for the club, contributing five goals and one assist. What is most astonishing, is that he played 90 minutes in all bar four of those matches. The Englishman proved he could be relied upon and demonstrated his versatility; O'Nien played predominantly as a central-midfielder, but also played on the right and left sides of Wycombe's midfield.

O'Nien cemented himself as a staple within Gareth Ainsworth's side, and made a further 66 league appearances for the Chairboys. He also improved his output, scoring eight and assisting four during his third and final season at Adams Park.

In July 2018, it was reported that O'Nien was to end his three-year stint at Adams Park by signing for Sunderland. Ainsworth's comments summed up O'Nien in a nutshell, and will ring true with Sunderland's supporters today. When commenting on the player's move to Sunderland, Ainsworth said, via the Chronicle: "But if anyone deserves it, it is Luke O’Nien. He works his socks off. He’s always the last one in from training every day, he does his stretches, he does his work in the gym, he very rarely gets injured unless it is an impact injury, and he is an example to all young players of how to make the best of who you are and what you are."

Sunderland captain Luke O'Nien

O'Nien had a challenging start to life in the North East. In truth, this was a massive move for him, and competition was fierce under new boss, Jack Ross. The Englishman made his debut in the Black Cats' opening day victory over Charlton Athletic, playing 45 minutes. O'Nien was restricted to just 161 minutes over his next 10 appearances, an average of 16.1 minutes per game.

Many thought the former Wycombe man was not cut out for Sunderland or League One football, but in typical O'Nien fashion, he found a way into the team. As revealed on his 'X' post, when asked if he could play right-back, he lied and said yes. O'Nien became a stalwart of the side, playing 90 minutes in 23 of his next 26 games; he also chipped in with a respectable five goals and six assists.

O'Nien went on to achieve promotion to the Championship with Sunderland, defeating his former club Wycombe at Wembley. Despite getting promoted, O'Nien opened up on his injury struggles, which kept him sidelined for four months. He claimed he 'remembered his lessons', having faced adversity before.

Now playing as a centre-back, O'Nien has demonstrated his versatility and willingness to give everything for the shirt - something that Black Cats fans love. O'Nien has gone on to make a total of 265 appearances for the club and was made club captain in the absence of Corey Evans, who was sidelined through injury. O'Nien has remained as captain since. Speaking on his journey to captaincy, he said, via the Sunderland Echo: "I walked out here five years ago, and I was off within 45 minutes. Now I am dead chuffed, no one can ever take that moment away from me."

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In August 2023, the Sunderland captain was rewarded with a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light, keeping him at the Stadium of Light until 2026. In a squad dominated by youth, O'Nien has cemented his position as a leader within the side, and somebody who every other player should look up to.

To those outside the club, O'Nien might come across as some sort of joker, given his antics on the pitch. Sunderland's captain picked up a famous booking for giving Bristol City's Alex Scott a piggyback during their Championship encounter. He also planted a kiss on Norwich City's Jacob Sorenson - something Sorenson won't forget in a hurry.

However, underneath the charm is something far deeper. O'Nien is an inspiration for all, not just those in football. When faced with rejection at Watford, O'Nien had two options: graft or give up. Sunderland's captain has made a career of working hard and has proved that hard work does pay off - let that be a message to anyone out there who is finding life tough.

Having played in the EFL's three tiers, Luke O'Nien will have his eyes firmly set on one objective: promotion to the Premier League. At 20 years old, nobody would have backed him, but it would take a brave man to bet against Sunderland's captain fulfilling his destiny.