Luke O'Nien has established himself as a firm fans favourite at the Stadium of Light amongst Sunderland supporters. 

The 25-year-old has been a key member of the Black Cats squad for a number of seasons now, and will have been frustrated that his side couldn't get over the line in their quest for promotion last term.

However, Sunderland are back in contention for promotion into the Championship this season. Phil Parkinson's side are currently sat seventh in the third tier standings, but are just three points adrift of second-placed Rotherham United heading towards the conclusion of this year's campaign.

O'Nien has made 43 appearances in total this season for Sunderland, and has chipped in with four goals and six assists in all competitions for the Black Cats.

O'Nien's contract is set to expire at the end of this year's campaign though, and no new deal has yet been offered, which is likely to concern the Stadium of Light faithful about his future at the club.

However, the Sunderland Echo have recently reported that Sunderland are set to take up the option of extending his stay with the club for an additional year.

Due to recent off-the-field events, Sunderland's push for promotion has been called to an abrupt halt, with no scheduled return date being set as of yet.

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The Verdict: 

This will be a no-brainer for Sunderland.

O'Nien has been a key player for the Black Cats for a number of seasons now, and he's likely to be one of the first names on Phil Parkinson's team-sheet this term.

He's more than deserving of a new deal, and it seems as though it'll only be a matter of time before his contract is extended by a further year at the Stadium of Light.

They need to get this sorted in the near future though, as he's a player that will surely be attracting interest from other clubs after such an impressive spell with Sunderland.