Luke O'Nien's heartfelt message amid Sunderland injury struggles and his off the field help

Luke O'Nien has been one of the first names on the Sunderland team sheet during his time at the Stadium of Light.

However, 'Mr. Versatile' has not had it plain sailing during his time on Wearside.

It's fair to say O'Nien has suffered from his fair share of injuries and the 27-year-old has admitted he's struggled mentally to cope this time out.

The Sunderland midfielder has often spoken about his positive mindset and his bubbly character is one of the reason's he so loved on Wearside.

In a heartfelt message on Instagram, O'Nien gave an insight into the uncertainty he's face in recent months.

He said: "I see myself as quite a strong person so thought I’d be ok dealing with a long term injury. I didn’t think that being sidelined would affect me.

"However, I was wrong and being completely honest I’ve struggled. I always thought if I got injured it would be quite straight forward. Do the necessary rehab and get stronger until I was fit to play again.

"Over the past few months I’ve discovered it’s not that simple and I’ve learnt a few tough lessons. I know there are other footballers going through similar so I’ve decided to share my experience in this post.

"Being injured and unable to play caused a massive unbalance in my life: My usual daily routine went out the window, I had more time on my hands and didn’t know how to fill it. Uncertainty set in - When will I get back? How long will it take? Will I be the same player? Will I play again?

"I felt lonely. I lost the daily connection I had with my teammates as I rehabbed in isolation. I started to question my identity. I’m a footballer. Who am I if I can’t play football?

"I got frustrated waiting for stitches and wounds to heal. Being unable to exercise resulted in my