"He just needs to" - Sunderland captain Luke O'Nien reacts to Jobe Bellingham situation | OneFootball

The teenager is set to miss the next few matches after being sent off against QPR.

Luke O'Nien has said that Sunderland will miss Jobe Bellingham - who he described as "one of the best players in the league" - after he picked up a straight red card against Queens Park Rangers, which will likely see him suspended for a few games.

For all that Sunderland have been the most dominating force in the Championship this season, they have had some struggles away from home.

The two losses on their record, against Plymouth Argyle and Watford, have both come on the road and, on Saturday, they once again dropped points away against lesser opponents.

QPR were able to pick up a draw against the league leaders. They were able to stifle Regis Le Bris' side and, for most of the second half, they were the ones that were pressing the issue, as is shown by the attacking momentum bar from the game.

Queens Park Rangers - Sunderland Live Score

You can see that Marti Cifuentes' players took control of the match right after Bellingham was shown a red card. He was sent down the tunnel early by referee Ben Toner for a high challenge on Zan Celar.

The Black Cats were able to survive without him, but they are now expected to be without the 19-year-old star for a few matches.

Luke O'Nien on Jobe Bellingham's red card challenge

O'Nien stated that Sunderland will miss Bellingham while he is suspended. He described the young midfielder as "one of the best players in the league".

"He puts in tackles," said O'Nien on Bellingham, via the Northern Echo. "Part of playing the game at the high intensity he does is his quality, both in and out of possession.

"He's been one of the best players in the league this season and we'll miss him next week, but he's still a vital part of the group and we'll look forward to having him back."

The captain also revealed the rest of his teammates' comforting reaction towards Bellingham after his sending off.

"Jobe didn't need to give us a message after the game," he said. "You could see how disappointed he was, so the boys will just get around him.

"We know what he's delivered to the scene this season. He just needs to go rest up and just get ready for the game when he's back. He's been one of the best players in the league this season."

Sunderland's centre of the park resources are already slightly stretched after another one of their top teens, Chris Rigg, missed out on the game in the capital on Saturday due to injury. Le Bris said that Rigg should be back in training this week, but it's not known whether he will be fit enough to play on Wednesday evening against Preston North End.

Jobe Bellingham offers so much to Sunderland

It should be no surprise that there are remarkable similarities between the Black Cats' midfielder and his brother Jude. They both operate in similar areas and can do pretty much anything, so much so that there was consideration at the end of last season from former interim head coach Mike Dodds about whether they should use the 19-year-old as a centre-forward.

He's been kept in his more natural role, deeper on the pitch, but he certainly has strong instincts around the penalty area. Bellingham has three direct goal contributions (goals or assists) so far this season.

He doesn't slack off on the other end either. He averages the second most tackles per game of any Sunderland player, as things stand, as well as more than five ball recoveries per game.

Losing that sort of presence in the midfield has already proven to be a big blow for the Black Cats, and it could continue to prove to be over the coming games.