'Real leadership qualities' - How Tony Mowbray knew Dan Neil was ready to be Sunderland captain

Dan Neil is the new Sunderland captain, but one man that will not have surprised is former boss Tony Mowbray.

Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil /

Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray foresaw Dan Neil becoming the team captain, as revealed by his comments last November.

Ahead of a home game against Birmingham for which Corry Evans, Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard were unavailable, Mowbray handed Neil the armband. Sunderland won 3-1 in one of their better performances of the season.

With Evans leaving this summer, it was Neil, and not club captain O’Nien, who has been confirmed as the new team captain, making Mowbray’s observations all the more interesting in retrospect.

"Yeah, I think so," Mowbray said last November when asked if Neil was ready for the captaincy.

"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."

It’s a significant achievement for Neil, who is just 22-years-old yet has amassed 149 appearances for his boyhood club.

“This is another proud moment in my Sunderland career,” he said. “I’m ready for this opportunity and the responsibility it involves, and I’m grateful for the continued support I know I’ll receive from my team-mates and the staff.

“Walking out at the Stadium of Light wearing the armband is a moment I’m looking forward to and one I know I’ll never forget.”