Sunderland handed a first professional contract to Academy of Light product Marcus Neill during the summer.
Sunderland youngster Marcus Neil has admitted he was left ‘speechless’ when he was offered a first professional contract by the Black Cats.
The 18-year-old forward became a regular goalscorer for Sunderland’s Under-18s in recent seasons after plundering his way to 29 goals in just 43 appearances across league and FA Youth Cup fixtures. The Australia youth international’s progress was recognised with a maiden call-up to the Under-21s squad in October 2024 as he came off the bench in a 3-0 win against Norwich City before scoring his first second string goal in a 2-1 defeat against Arsenal just over two months later.
Marcus Neillplaceholder image
Marcus Neill | Photo courtesy of Sunderland AFC
Neill was handed his first professional contract during the summer as head of academy John Hewitson praised the youngster for the progress he has made in recent seasons and admitted he was ‘really excited’ to see how he develops over the new season. Neil has also discussed racking up the latest landmark moment in an exciting career and revealed his pride over putting pen-to-paper on a pro deal at the Stadium of Light.
He told ESPN: "It was almost relief. It's just a start, but it's something I worked towards. It was very proud for me and my family. To finally sign a pro deal, that's what you play football for. You've actually won that professional contract, almost to be named as a footballer. When they came in and pulled me into a meeting, I was just speechless. I loved it. It was brilliant."
‘A really proud moment’
The Academy of Light product gave signal of his undoubted potential when he made a major impact at international level during the summer.
After being named in the Australia Under-19s squad for the ASEAN Championship in June, Neil found the net in a 2-2 with Cambodia before coming off the bench to score a last-minute winner in a tight and nervy clash with Indonesia to send his side into a final showdown with Thailand. Neill featured for the entire 90 minutes as his side claimed a 2-0 win in the final and the Black Cats youngster has revealed his pride over his achievements during the summer months.
"Playing for my country, it just fills me with pride," Neill said. "Coming on and scoring, if you ask me now, I don't really remember it much; I didn't really know how to react. It was a really special moment for me, and I'll probably cherish that forever. As a striker, scoring goals is what you dream about, and to score in front of a big crowd there, it was a good experience, and then obviously to go on and win the whole tournament.
"I looked at the video after; I didn't see the bottles. I didn't see anything. I was just, I was just blacked out. It was just a really proud moment for me. Because I'm all about winning; getting into the final and winning just means a lot with my country."
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