At around 2:30pm on Saturday, the sight of Dan Neil going through his warm-up routines as the players got themselves ready ahead of kick off against Crystal Palace caught my eye.
As the Lads executed their drills, he and Chris Rigg spent a good deal of time passing the ball back and forth, their exchanges punctuated by what appeared to be some good-natured banter, plenty of smiles and the kind of larking about you’d expect from two Sunderland lads who were living the dream of being involved with their boyhood
club at the highest level.
However, despite the good vibes, it also felt poignant. Was I watching a player for whom this was possibly his final appearance in either a playing or non-playing capacity in front of the Stadium of Light crowd?
To most fans, I suspect the sight of two academy products sharing a pitch with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele is surely a source of real pride and perhaps the most shining example of how our youth development programme has gone from strength to strength.
However, whereas Rigg looks set for what we all hope will be a long and productive Sunderland career, Neil — almost six years his senior and already a veteran of over two hundred appearances in the red and white — seems set to embark upon a new chapter of his career, one that’ll see him bid farewell to the only club he’s ever called home.
Media rumours have been plentiful, with the likes of Sheffield United, Rangers, West Ham, FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach credited with an interest in the homegrown midfielder.
All interesting options — and a move to one of the two German clubs would be the real adventurous choice, for me — but it’s testament to Neil’s pedigree that he’s caught the eye of scouts at home and overseas, and I’m not at all surprised that that his services are in demand.
As those who take the time to read my ramblings on the pages of Roker Report and on X will know, my stance on Neil is no secret: I’ve been a huge fan of him for a long time and I’ve always believed that his talent and the role he played in the process that eventually led us from the depths of League One to the bright lights and big cities of the Premier League shouldn’t go unappreciated.
He’s never been a “liability”. He’s also never been a weak link and I’ll defend to the nth degree his right not to put pen to paper on a new contract if he felt that, for whatever reason, it wasn’t right.
Two promotions, plenty of hugely influential performances and a wholehearted and committed approach to the game represents a very stellar return and regardless of whether you agreed with the decision to appoint him as captain or questioned his credentials for that role, his status as the first homegrown Sunderland player to skipper his side to Wembley success since Raich Carter is something that nobody can ever take away from him.
However, whatever’s gone on behind the scenes — and it must be stressed that Régis Le Bris has been nothing but steadfast in his support for Neil — the contrast impasse that seems to have been simmering away for some time appears to have reached its endgame.
The phrase “the club has evolved very quickly” has regularly been in circulation since the summer and given the high-class options currently at our disposal, Neil has increasingly found himself on the fringes as his apparent exit has drawn nearer.
A shame? Yes.
It should never be a joyous turn of events when a homegrown player departs, but if we want Sunderland AFC to be run efficiently, to maintain a ruthless focus on continued progress and to continue to unlock the vast potential contained within, the tough decisions can’t be shirked and that’s just the way it is.
I firmly believe that Neil does have the talent to make it at this level, so it does sting somewhat to have to accept that he’ll seemingly be plying his trade elsewhere, yet on the other hand — in my eyes at least — he’ll hopefully leave in similar fashion to Jack Clarke, having retained his professionalism right to the very end and not disrupted the chemistry of the squad as he seeks clarity on his future.
Some fans may feel that he’s looked “disconnected” in recent weeks and months (that would be understandable, as the apparently imminent end of any love affair isn’t something to which you’d turn cartwheels in response and if Neil is feeling saddened, it’s a totally human reaction) but I’ve always felt that much of the criticism directed towards him is borne of envy — envy of a player who’s lived all our dreams through one of the most transformative periods in the club’s history and who was at the heart of some truly iconic moments.
Whatever the future holds for him and wherever he lands next, Neil will always be one of our own.
If we happen to cross paths with him somewhere down the road, I really hope his efforts in a red and white shirt are acknowledged and I’m sure that given all he’s done for this club, the passage of time should be very, very kind to his legacy on Wearside.
