Sunderland have been told they have a ‘really special talent’ in their squad after the defeat to Ipswich Town.
Michael Beale made it three defeats from his opening six games as Sunderland boss yesterday, as they were narrowly beaten by Ipswich Town.
The Black Cats looked very capable of causing an upset at Portman Road after Jack Clarke netted the opener, while Adil Aouchiche also had the opportunity to take the lead for a second time shortly after he was brought on
However, poor decision-making and even worse defending resulting in Conor Chaplin claiming all three points for the hosts.
It was a positive first half display from Sunderland, but they looked far from the quality needed to keep them in the play-offs in the latter stages of the game.
While the likes of Aouchiche and Luke O’Nien were subject to criticism for their displays in the Championship defeat, Dan Neil was one player who was praised for his ‘excellent’ performance this weekend.
The midfielder was awarded an 8 rating by the Sunderland Echo, with journalist Phil Smith writing: “Another excellent, commanding display in midfield. Won challenges, moved into good areas and broke forward when he could. A really special talent.”
How good is Dan Neil?
Dan Neil has, for the most part, been brilliant for Sunderland this term.
He has been unable to play as forward as he would like at times, due to the lack of cover in front of the Black Cats’ defence. However, he has often been a standout player for his boyhood club.
The 22-year-old has had the second-most shots in the squad (37), the fourth-most tackles (37), third-most interceptions (23), most passes blocked (29), third-most successful dribbles (25) and the third most passes completed (1577).
Yesterday’s game saw Neil complete 87% of his passes, make one key pass, win five out of eight of his ground duels, and also make two clearances and one tackle.
Neil’s form for Sunderland makes it even less surprising that he has attracted interest from the Premier League since the summer, with Liverpool said to be one club interested.
Thankfully, it was only last year that the England youth international signed a contract extension with Sunderland, meaning we are under no pressure to sell one of our star players.
His commitment to his hometown club will surely work in our favour too, but he is likely to only be prepared to stick around in the Championship for so long.