View: Dan Neil could captain Sunderland to promotion after 100% showing v Portsmouth
Dan Neil captained Sunderland once again as they secured a 1-0 victory against Portsmouth on Sunday with the midfielder playing a crucial role in the game.
Sunderland’s hunt for automatic promotion goes on following their victory against Pompey on 5 January and Neil played an influential role yet again.
Trai Hume earned plaudits for his performance in the clash but Neil was sounded out by many as the potential Man of the Match and it’s a case certainly worth arguing.
His role in the side has often been undervalued but providing he can stay fit, he has a massive role to play in the second half of the campaign with promotion in sight.
Dan Neil ran the midfield for Sunderland v Portsmouth
While he is still adapting to his new role under Regis Le Bris, Neil is putting in performance after performance and it’s about time he earned more recognition for what he does on the pitch.
According to FotMob, Neil recorded a respectable 86 per cent pass accuracy from 51 attempted passes with one chance created to go alongside it.
Nine of those passes were into the opposition’s final third as the Mackems looked to break through the Pompey backline.
Although it doesn’t get registered statistically, he played a huge role in the goal scored by Wilson Isidor, winning the ball back for the Black Cats before setting Eliezer Mayenda off on the counter.
In transition, Neil completed his only attempted dribble in the game and contributed plenty defensively as well.
The Sunderland academy graduate won 100% of his tackles in the clash while winning seven defensive duels in 10 defensive actions in total.
Much of Sunderland’s hopes of returning to the Premier League will hinge on their ability to keep Neil fit, which thankfully has been achieved in the first half of the campaign.
In other Sunderland news, Anthony Patterson responded to rumours of an exit from Wearside.
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