Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Peter. Thank you for your letter.
I’ve heard this argument a lot when it comes to the Sunderland careers of Dan Neil and Jobe, and I have to respectfully disagree wholeheartedly.
The idea that Neil would “go missing” in games never stacked up to me. Fundamentally, I’ve always believed that to a point, it’s not actually a bad thing when midfielders simply get on with their jobs, give their all and keep things ticking over. Neil did that on so many occasions — and often in a position that was unnatural to him, as we saw during the 2024/2025 season.
Time will tell how his career pans out from here but Ipswich have signed a very, very capable Championship midfielder and if they’re to win promotion at the end of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Neil plays a major role along the way.