One Sunderland man has been hailed as a ‘superb’ figure in the current Black Cats side.
Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium to get back to winning ways, putting an end to a two-game losing streak.
The Black Cats found themselves up against the cosh in the early stages, but led through a controversial Eliezer Mayenda goal, who was set up by a superb Leo Hjelde ball from deep in the left flank.
Mayenda continued to steal the show, putting the Black Cats ahead once again through a brilliant header, this time being set up by Hjelde’s fellow full-back, Trai Hume.
Despite Mayenda deservedly receiving the plaudits for his display against Sheffield Wednesday, another Sunderland man has received praise for his performance in the win, and he may have gone under the radar throughout the 90 minutes.
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Sunderland star Dan Neil praised as ‘proper player’ following Sheffield Wednesday win
Regis Le Bris made several changes to the side that lost recently to Hull City, both enforced and tactically as well, however, one man that remained everpresent in the Frenchman’s side was Dan Neil.
The Sunderland captain didn’t offer too much in regards to attacking output, but looked very dependable spraying balls around the centre of the park with ease and precision.
Unsurprisingly, his performance has received plenty of praise, including from James Copley via X, who said: “[Neil is] quietly developing into a superb captain. The action at the end to win the free-kick was brilliant.
“Proper player and a proper leader.”
Per SofaScore, the stats highlight his skill in playmaking, as well as his resilience in breaking up play, having accumulated 55 touches and 30 accurate passes, but also notably managed to win eight out of 13 duels and drew in four fouls.
Dan Neil has come a long way since early 2024/25 criticism
In the early knockings of the 2024/25 Championship campaign, Sunderland midfielder Neil was played in a slightly deeper position to which he was less used to, and his performances showed that.
Sunderland fans called for Neil to be dropped early on in the season, and he was even aware of ‘daft’ errors he was making, including giving away a penalty at Watford.
Looking at the struggles that Neil faced prior in the defensive-midfield role, he has done brilliantly to emerge from that tough patch and become one of Sunderland’s most inconsistent performers under Le Bris, who has been pivotal in his vast improvement.