Tony Mowbray reveals who will captain Sunderland in Luke O'Nien absence
Academy product Dan Neil will captain Sunderland in the absence of Luke O’Nien against Birmingham City, Tony Mowbray has confirmed.
Neil is enjoying his best season as a professional this campaign and has already amassed more than 100 appearances for his boyhood club despite being just 21-years-old.
He will not step into the captain’s role to deputise for O’Nien, who is serving a one-match suspension against the Blues along with fellow centre-back Dan Ballard.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Mowbray did stress he has not made up his mind for absolute certain, but it seems the decision has all but been made.
"Yeah, I think so," Mowbray said when asked if Neil would wear the armband.
"I say that, I would suggest 99% in my mind Dan will be captain and rightly so, he deserves it.
"As I said to you earlier, he's starting to show real leadership qualities on the grass around the position he plays.
"Understanding how we need to push in around the ball or we need to get tucked in off the side or we need to sit off a bit here, how we roll people into different areas. He understands football and he can make it happen on the grass rather than me screaming like an idiot for 90 minutes.
"It's good when you have players who understand and move people around on the pitch for you."
Who would be other contenders for Sunderland captain?
Sunderland will also be missing captain-contender Dan Ballard
IMAGO
The reality is that there are not really many from which to choose now. Corry Evans remains the club captain but he will not likely be back in action until the new year as he battles his way back from a serious knee injury.
In Evans’ absence last season, Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch took over the armband, although both of those moved on in the summer to Norwich and Stoke respectively.
That left O’Nien as the obvious answer to the captain question this season, although many fans have questioned whether he should be an automatic started for the club at the moment.
Outside of O’Nien, it is increasingly difficult to find experience in the Sunderland squad. Patrick Roberts is the only other regular starter who is over 26-years-old, and he is not much of a talker on the pitch.
Dan Ballard would have surely been in the frame but he is suspended as well, and Alex Pritchard has more of a cameo role nowadays.
The other contender probably would have been goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. The 23-year-old, like most Sunderland players, lacks experience although he does possess a very cool and calming temperament. That comes with pros and cons when it comes to captaincy, though.
All that does mean Mowbray has limited options and leaves Neil as perhaps the obvious choice - and few would likely disagree with his decision should the midfielder lead the team out against Birmingham this weekend.
READ MORE SUNDERLAND NEWS
- Sunderland keen to beat Championship rivals to Ghanaian defender, claims report
- Sunderland sign third Ukrainian as they lure Chelsea starlet
- The stats that show Sunderland may not be as creative as it seems
- Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham names two former Sunderland players as his heroes
- Jack Clarke latest: Contract situation will not dictate any January transfer decision