Sunderland captain Dan Neil has heaped the praise on one teammate despite the draw to Burnley.
The Black Cats picked up a point on the road against promotion candidates Burnley, with the game finishing 0-0.
Whilst the scoreline on the surface is one that Sunderland will have snatched with two hands before the game, it feels like two points dropped for Regis Le Bris’ side.
Wilson Isidor’s two penalty misses saw Sunderland miss a huge chance to leapfrog Burnley in the table and move level on points with Leeds United at the summit of the table.
Whilst Isidor’s penalty misses were pivotal to the outcome, he has still been rallied around by fans and teammates, including captain Dan Neil, who has come out to praise the Frenchman.
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Sunderland captain Dan Neil praises ‘massive’ Wilson Isidor despite penalty misses
Sunderland bagsman Isidor has been on form this season, bagging eight goals in 23 Championship games, placing him comfortably as the Black Cats’ top scorer so far this season.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old was unable to add to his tally against Burnley, but this hasn’t stopped the praise being heaped on him by Neil.
Via SAFC’s X page, Neil said: “We’d be in a worse spot if he [Isidor] wasn’t in the team.
“The fact he took the first penalty, obviously missed, he’s had the balls to pick it up and say ‘I want to score goals for this team and win this game’. Unfortunately it didn’t happen for him tonight but I commend his bravery and his courage to want to go and score goals for this football team.
“I think he has brought a different dynamic to what we have had up front in the last two years.
“He’s gonna be a massive player for us in the running to try and fight for the automatic spots.”
The Sunderland striker had scored three goals in four Championship clashes in the buildup to the Burnley draw, and has clearly benefitted from Le Bris’ change to a front two, playing alongside Eliezer Mayenda.
Black Cats team togetherness highlights key differences to 2023/24 season
Such a moment like this double penalty miss against a league rival last season could have easily plummeted spirits in the dressing room, but the response to it now shows one significant change that Le Bris has implemented in the squad.
When it comes to mentality and squad togetherness, Sunderland are leagues above where they were last season, and bringing in the big personalities of Isidor and Mayenda for example into the side has certainly helped.
There is no doubt that Isidor will bounce back from this unfortunate moment in such a crucial game, and he has the perfect side and manager around him to put that behind him, and his mentality has already shone through after his message sent to the fans after the game.