While Sunderland have managed to avoid defeat in their last two games, they have still picked up only one win in their last five games.
The Black Cats will be desperate to pick up all three points this weekend as they host Birmingham City, however they face a major defensive blow which could derail their plans.
Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard have formed a solid partnership at the back so far this season, while the standard of their back-ups is significantly lower.
While we have so far managed to avoid having to replace either player, Tony Mowbray faces a huge headache this time round as he will now be without both of them.
The Sunderland boss is going to figure out exactly who to play in the backline in order to avoid defeat, while he is also going to have to pick a new captain.
O’Nien has sported the captain’s armband since Corry Evans was sidelined in January, while there are very few options to replace him this weekend.
With the youngest average age in the Championship (22.6), it comes as no surprise that Sunderland don’t have many authoritative figures that can command and organise just like O’Nien and Evans could.
But while Sunderland’s ‘older’ players consist of the likes of Alex Pritchard, Bradley Dack and Patrick Roberts, the best choice to take the captaincy still seems so glaringly obvious.
At only 21 years old, Dan Neil actually feels like one of our most experienced players already. The midfielder already has 120 senior appearances to his name and is one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Neil isn’t afraid to tell his teammates what to do and is clearly a well loved character, while he isn’t afraid to speak to the media and is open to admit his frustrations, struggles and what the team are doing well.
Will Dan Neil become Sunderland captain in the future?
With Corry Evans’ contract expiring next summer, we could well see his younger counterpart take up the vice-captaincy anyway.
Dan Neil is the future of Sunderland and could well become the club captain if he remains on Wearside for years to come, so why not give him a taste this weekend?
The Black Cats’ main concern this weekend will be the absence of O’Nien and Ballard defensively, but Neil can definitely have a very positive impact on the team’s organisation and commitment to claiming those three points against Wayne Rooney’s side.