Club captain Luke O’Nien has lauded the commitment and work ethic of midfielder Jobe Bellingham at Sunderland and has described him as a “product of how hard he trains".

Bellingham, 19, scored the matchwinner in back-to-back games in the Championship helping the Lads to comeback victories over Swansea City and Norwich City. He has been a constant fixture in the team since signing in the summer of 2023 and has made 67 appearances out of a possible 72, scoring 11 goals in that time.

O’Nien has become part of the furniture at the club with his work ethic elevating him to becoming one of most important figures on Wearside over the last seven years. He’s noticed those similarities between himself and the powerful midfielder.

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“I spend a lot of time with Jobe,” O’Nien told CBS Sport. “I spend a lot of time in the gym and do the extras. Having someone like that where I look across the gym and he is doing his extras as well. It merits the work he does at the training ground every single day.

“That’s really important. People see Jobe turning up and scoring the goal but I see Jobe that stays behind after training and puts himself in these position-specific areas and works on them. It’s not just Jobe turning up and scoring. It’s Jobe being a product of how hard he trains and how hard he works.

“It’s not just me that is trying to lead. The young players are stepping up and leading as well. Jobe has come up with the goods and you’ve got Chris Rigg who is 17 and you can see, he’s put in a load of leadership performances and he steps up at the training ground everyday.

“For me personally, I’ve been here seven years now and the group we’ve got is one of the best I’ve ever seen.”