Sunderland in danger of losing a 2nd “outstanding” star after Neil contract rejection

There is still a dark cloud hanging over proceedings at the Stadium of the Light at the moment, as Sunderland find themselves no nearer to appointing a new manager, despite the regular Championship season finishing more than a month ago.

That might well be impacting the Black Cats camp, who could view the precarious situation in the dug-out as a sign that next campaign could end up being a struggle, instead of a major improvement on a dire 16th spot being achieved.

This could result in various first-team personnel packing their bags and moving on, with Jack Clarke a constant name linked with a move away from Wearside, on top of a new development involving homegrown product Dan Neil, which will be worrying news to the ears of Sunderland supporters.

The latest on Dan Neil’s contract situation

It was revealed by talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently that this indecision regarding who will be Mike Dodds’ successor has resulted in Neil getting itchy feet about his future at the club, resulting in the 22-year-old turning down a new bumper contract.

Neil is still contracted to his boyhood employers until 2026 but with interest in the past coming from Leicester City, the Foxes could fancy testing the waters soon to see if the disgruntled Black Cats number 24 would be tempted by a move.

Fresh off another excellent season in Sunderland red and white where he amassed nine goal contributions, after initially making the break-through into the men’s team way back in 2021, Neil might see last campaign’s poor overall finish – despite his best efforts – as a natural conclusion to his time at the Black Cats.

There will be fears that a potential exit for Neil could act as a ripple effect amongst an unsettled camp, triggering the likes of Trai Hume to test his luck elsewhere and see if a suitor would gamble on his services, with Leeds United once an interested party.

This would be yet another disastrous development at the Stadium of Light to pile on the misery, with Hume arguably even more important than Neil at this moment in time.

Trai Hume’s season in numbers

The Northern Irish defender has been a constant at the back for Sunderland, when the left-back spot has seen many different occupants owing to recurring bad luck via injuries, with Hume accumulating 47 appearances in total across all competitions last season.

Having to fill in at left-back 11 times himself, despite being more of a natural down the right-hand flank, losing Hume this summer would leave many a gaping hole in defence for the stuttering Wearside outfit.

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