Sunderland boss explains Luke O'Nien decision at Swansea City ahead of big Norwich City dilemma

Luke O'Nien could be in contention to return to the Sunderland side at left back on Saturday side after Régis Le Bris underlined his importance after the comeback win over Swansea City.

Le Bris sprung a surprise in the second half in South Wales by bringing on the 30-year-old on the left of defence, a position in which he did play at Sheffield United last month. O'Nien was back in the squad after illness on Saturday and will be firmly in the thoughts of his head coach when Norwich City visit the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Le Bris confirmed after the win over Swansea that he had brought him on out of position because of his importance to the team.

Le Bris said: "Absolutely, he was in our starting 12 today! Because I think he is one of our best players. It's a good problem for us, I repeat, because we have many options with our back four. So when one is missing we have others available. We can change the style, we can push until the end with the right amount of energy. This is good for us."

Le Bris may yet opt to stick with Dennis Cirkin, with the head coach in no doubt that the talented full back will soon be back to his best as he regains full match sharpness after surgery on a wrist injury.

"It's just a question of connection with the competition," Le Bris said.

"Dennis was very good at the beginning of the season but because of injury he missed some weeks with the team. Even a very good player like Dennis needs time to reconnect with the speed of the game. At this level, it is very demanding and to play at your best level it just takes a bit of time.”