Tony Mowbray: 'I'm not going to build Dan Neil up just so he can be sold to a Premier League club'
Tony Mowbray says he would prefer to keep the talents of Sunderland youngster Dan Neil under wraps for as long as possible.
Neil produced what was arguably his best ever performance for Sunderland in the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, and he has been steadily improving all season.
However, he joked he was reluctant to talk about Neil too much for obvious reasons.
"Listen I'm not going to sit here and build Dan Neil up so you lot can go and get him sold to a Premier League club," Mowbray told the press after the win over Middlesbrough.
"I was very aware of him at Blackburn Rovers, he was on our radar as the best player in League One in our opinion.
"Now that I'm here and working with him I'm going to keep him quiet, just let him do what he does and keep developing."
Neil recently revealed he was forced to make significant improvements to his defensive game to force his way back into the Sunderland side.
Former boss Alex Neil told him he wasn’t good enough without the ball to get into his team, but he went away over the summer, improved, and was in the starting line-up for the first game of the Championship season against Coventry.
RELATED: Dan Neil reveals the Alex Neil criticism that has supercharged his Sunderland career
"He's a wonderful kid, he looks you in the eye and asks you questions," Mowbray said.
"When you shout and moan at him for not doing this or that, he doesn't throw a strop, he comes to see the clips so that he can understand what you mean. He's a very, very talented young guy who wants to get better.
“He's got all the attributes to be a top midfielder player. [Middlesbrough boss] Michael Carrick will follow me in soon and he isn't too far away from being that type of midfielder - who is elegant with that bit of quality.
"He's growing into becoming a good footballer, but please don't go making big headlines, we want to keep him quiet."
Read more Sunderland coverage
- Ten players you probably forgot played for Sunderland in League One
- 'Terrific' - Michael Carrick gives verdict on Tony Mowbray, Amad Diallo and Sunderland play-off chances
- Five recent transfers that show Sunderland January signings are worth the wait
- Newcastle and RB Leipzig making 'inquiries' about on-loan Sunderland youngster
- 'The kind of personality you want' - Tony Mowbray pays tribute to Sunderland star
- 'Rangers would be a step up for Ross Stewart,' says former Sunderland man