Sunderland have a number of top players in their squad right now, but one of the best may actually have Alex Neil to thank for his progress.
Regis Le Bris has been blessed with the Sunderland squad he has inherited, with some of the most exciting talents in the Championship among his ranks.
While the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg naturally catch the eye, Sunderland’s captain, Dan Neil, is something of an unsung hero this season.
Le Bris expressed his delight with Neil recently and acknowledged the fact that the fans are finally starting to recognise the skipper’s contributions.
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Being dropped may have been the best thing to happen to Dan Neil
It hasn’t always gone Neil’s way, though, as Patrick Roberts pointed out in a recent interview with the Northern Echo, and the winger pinpointed Alex Neil’s decision to drop his namesake back in the 2022/23 campaign as a defining moment in the midfielder’s evolution.
“When I first came, Dan was obviously playing quite a lot. But, when I came in, he didn’t play,” Roberts said. “But I think that, in a way, helped him. He got over the line with promotion. He was involved and you could see what he was like. You knew he was a top player. But, maybe at that time, he was very young. Since then, he’s grown into a real leader off and on the pitch.”
With the Sunderland manager taking Neil out of the team at that moment, and allowing him to rest and perhaps gain some perspective, Roberts suggested this may have given him the impetus to succeed in the long-run.
Roberts praised the player Neil is now, adding: “He’s a real character. He’s from here. His whole family obviously support and come and watch him. You can see he’s proud every time he wears that armband.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Dan ever since I’ve come. He’s just showing what he can do and he’s a brilliant footballer. There’s not much I can say about him. He’s a good lad as well.”
Dan Neil is only going to get better, and Sunderland will benefit from that
It’s scary (and very exciting) to think that Dan Neil is only 23-years-old now, and still has so much more room to improve as a player and a captain.
Sunderland fans have hailed Neil as ‘immense’ after his latest run of great form, and there’s no denying the skipper has been integral to keeping the club in the promotion race.
Given his roots within the club and his leadership role, it is almost difficult to imagine Neil ever really moving on. Indeed, he has rarely been mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Jobe and Rigg in attracting Premier League interest, so Sunderland may be able to keep hold of him long-term.
Depending how the rest of this season goes, Neil could even write himself into the Sunderland history books and go on to become something of a legend at the club if he can lead them to glory and promotion.