Sunderland handed major contract boost

Neil’s previous deal had run until the summer of 2025 but Sunderland had been eager to reward the midfielder’s rapid progress over the last 18 months, with a number of Premier League clubs continuing to track his progress.

The midfielder has long spoken of his desire to help his boyhood club return to the top tier and has reaffirmed that in the wake of signing his extension.

“I’m excited to be extending my time here – I’ve really enjoyed myself so far and I feel like I’m learning and developing, which is what I want at my age having broken into the first team,” Neil said.

"All my family are Sunderland fans, so I have immense pride playing for the club. I always said I wanted to try and help this club get back to where it belongs and signing this contract will give me an opportunity to help do that.”

Neil has had an excellent first campaign at Championship level, and has already made 40 appearances across all competitions for the club this season. His form of late has been all the more impressive given that he has been adapting to a defensive midfield role in the absence of Corry Evans.

While there have inevitably been some uncertain moments as he has made that adjustment, Mowbray has previously said that capacity to learn and improve is one of the key reasons why he believes he is a player bound for the Premier League.