"A great" - Luke O'Nien hails Sunderland legend after Norwich appearance | OneFootball

Saturday saw the return of a legend to the Stadium of Light.

Luke O'Nien has hailed Sunderland legend Niall Quinn, who he described as "a great man", after his hour-long chat with the former striker before the Norwich City match.

Saturday was a good day to be at the Stadium of Light for a couple of reasons; that is if you are of a Black Cats persuasion. Firstly, the victory. Jobe Bellingham's second game winner in as many matches made sure that Sunderland went into the Christmas period on a high.

The other reason was the return of Quinn. The man who'd played, led the club on the pitch as a manager and then as their chairman, came back to Wearside as a special guest for the game.

He'd been to the Academy of Light to see Regis Le Bris and the players a few days before the game and had an hour-long chat with club captain O'Nien. It's safe to say that the defender got a lot out of his talk with Quinn.

Luke O'Nien reveals chat with "incredible" Nial Quinn

The 30-year-old wasn't ignorant of the Irishman's significance in that part of the country. He praised Quinn for the work that he now does, mentoring others in the game.

"He’s incredible," said O'Nien of the Sunderland legend, via the Northern Echo. "I know the history and what he’s done not just for this football club but the area and I spent a good hour with him, just speaking to him and we’re going to connect in the new year.

"He does a lot of work in America and in mentoring, and I’m strong on that side of it, so there may be an overlap in what we do to mentor and help develop players. I really enjoyed my time with him, he’s incredible.

"I’d never really spoken with him before, that was our longest conversation. He’s a very busy man and when he comes to the club everyone wants to talk to Quinny, so it’s the most amount of time I’ve been able to spend with him and it was really nice.

"He came and watched training and I tried my best to finish like him but he probably wasn’t impressed. He’s a great man who has done an incredible amount for the club and he’s having a huge impact now in mentoring."

Unlike O'Nien, Bellingham and Dan Ballard were able to showcase their scoring abilities in front of Quinn. Their goals handed Sunderland their second successive win since the end of October, when they beat Oxford United 2-0.

Niall Quinn's wisdom will only help Sunderland

O'Nien may not look like a seasoned veteran of the game, but he is one of the more experienced players in the side. Sunderland's squad has the lowest average age of any team in the Championship, and that can make it hard to get through the more tough times, like they have experienced recently.

Tony Mowbray wanted to address this issue when he was in charge but ultimately wasn't allowed to. There was a slight shift back towards more traditional recruiting in the summer, but the club's model is still firmly tied to buying younger players.

In a situation like Sunderland are in, fighting for promotion against more well-versed sides, with a head coach that hadn't worked in this league prior to this season, not having that experience to call upon can be tough. That's where someone like Quinn can be so helpful, even if he's only available for a short period of time.

He experienced promotion with the Black Cats both as a player and chairman. He knows what it takes to achieve what Sunderland are striving to do. That sort of knowledge will be invaluable to a young group like the one currently playing at the Stadium of Light.