Dan Neil has sent Jobe Bellingham a warning after an impressive start to life in Sunderland.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Neil advised his teammate against making the same mistake he did and getting ‘burnt out’.
Dan Neil burst onto the scene on Wearside during their promotion-winning campaign, netting three goals and providing seven assists in League One.
It was his first ‘proper’ season in senior football and he was often made to play three games a week, which eventually affected his performances.
Following Alex Neil’s arrival at the club in 2022, he saw that the midfielder was on the brink of burnout and opted to take him out of the firing line to allow him to rest.
The 21-year-old has been excellent for the Black Cats ever since and has played a key part in the current campaign, featuring alongside Jobe Bellingham.
The teenager was expected to be heavily rotated following his arrival at the club, having made only a handful of senior appearances in his career.
However, Jobe’s superb form has seen him start every match in the Championship so far. While Neil has been impressed with the youngster, he has warned him against making the same mistake.
Dan Neil said: “I kind of know that from my first year playing first-team football in League One, although you don’t want to get taken out of the side and want to keep playing, you do get burnt out when you are young and you’re playing.
“I think everyone just needs to remember, he’s been brilliant so far this season, but people need to remember he’s 18-years-old and there are not many 18-year-old lads that can get through games week in, week out like he is doing.
“The three games a week, I still find the three games a week tough on the legs and Jobe is three years younger than me. Somebody told me the other day he’s played more minutes this season than he did the whole of last season. He just needs to keep it going, focus on the off the field stuff, the recovery, and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Is Jobe already showing signs of Dan Neil’s burnout?
There doesn’t seem to have been much mentioned about Jobe Bellingham’s performances in the last couple of games, but I think he looks well on his way to a burnout.
The midfielder was exceptional in his first few months on Wearside, but he certainly looks tired and has been making a lot more mistakes over the past couple of weeks.
Jobe can easily be our best player on his day, but there is no point playing him in every game if it is going to affect his form.
Personally, I would give him a rest against Swansea City and bring in Alex Pritchard. Let him play against his former club Birmingham City next week and then he has another break for the international fixtures.
We have to take care of him and Pritchard is certainly a very capable replacement.