Sunderland favourite Luke O'Nien issues heartfelt message to Black Cats supporters

Sunderland fan favourite Luke O'Nien has sent Black Cats supporters a heartfelt message ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign.

Never shy of putting himself about the pitch, O'Nien played a pivotal role in helping Sunderland jump back to the second tier of English football for the first time since 2018.

Primarily a central midfielder, the 27-year-old has featured all over the park for the Black Cats during his time on Wearside and has experienced his fair share of highs and lows at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland managed to overcome their play-off jinx in May when they defeated Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley to earn promotion.

O'Nien played all 90 minutes of Sunderland's famous Wembley win which saw the Black Cats best Wycombe 2-0.

And ahead of the upcoming season, O'Nien has taken to Instagram to reveal what was going through his head minutes before the play-off final kick-off at Wembley, with the 27-year-old heaping praise on the Black Cats travelling support.

O'Nien's Instagram post read: "I was simply standing in awe, just taking it in, 45,000 plus of you singing your heart outs for us. Thank you for the four years of support you've given me, I've had some amazing moments with you..... But this is right up there. Sunderland fans, you are out of this world. Looking forward to going again in a few weeks.