Tony Mowbray has praised Dan Neil for ‘stepping up’ in a very young Sunderland squad.
Speaking to Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats boss admitted that the 21-year-old has had to become more vocal in Corry Evans’ absence.
Corry Evans has spent around ten months on the sidelines, with Luke O’Nien taking the captain’s armband in the mean time.
The defender’s suspension against Birmingham City meant that Dan Neil took up the role for his boyhood club and he has since picked up plenty of praise for his manager.
When asked whether younger players had to step up this season, Mowbray said: “I think they’ve had to. The club captain has been injured for a long time now. People have to step up.
“Dan Neil I think has stepped up amazingly well on the pitch. He’s so much more vocal now. He was a quiet lad when I came in and was probably happy to be in the team, even though he played in League One a fair bit.
“We’re trying to grow them, we’re trying to sprinkle water on them and make them flower really and when a void is created by somebody leaving, somebody has to fill it. There are a few players.”
Is Dan Neil’s Sunderland future captain?
Dan Neil has taken his game up a notch this season and has easily been one of our best players.
While only 21, the midfielder has had to mature very quickly and become one of our ‘leaders’, and he’s doing it very well.
It bodes well for Neil’s future at the club and it would be great to see him eventually become the club captain. The eventual exits of O’Nien and Evans could provide Neil the perfect opportunity to lead his team out – hopefully into the Premier League.
Evans’ absence was at first a major loss due to his leadership and experience, but Neil has handled his injury really well and is very much a dominating figure in the middle of the park now.