Sunderland midfielder, Dan Neil has been discussing his time with the club and has set his sights on promotion.
Neil has been subject to interest from Burnley and Liverpool in the Premier League so there is clear admirers for the midfielder.
In spite of this, the Sunderland man did sign a contract extension until 2026, earlier this year.
He made his debut in 2018 for the Black Cats and has gone on to make 115 appearances. Including 47 in the Championship.
What has Dan Neil said?
Signing the new deal may have come as a surprise to some fans, due to interest from above.
Neil wanted to stay at his boyhood club: “That’s why I signed the deal, I love the philosophy here.
“Listen I landed on my feet when the philosophy came in because I was an 18-year-old lad kind of on the fringes of the first team.”
Playing under multiple managers, the midfielder has grown with the club as it rose back up the Football League.
Neil believed the club were to thank: “I can’t thank the club enough because I’ve got invaluable experience week in, week out for the last two, three years.
“It included a promotion and almost another one.”
With rumours over the summer, we could have seen Neil move on but he sees the chance to play in the Premier League with Sunderland.
On that, he said: “I fully believe in this squad that we’ve got here. I know it looks young on paper but I think we are more than good enough to compete at the top end of the table.
“Hopefully achieve that goal of getting back to the Premier League.”
There is clearly a great mentality at the club at the moment and long may it continue moving forward.