Sky Sports reporter Tom White has compared exciting Sunderland prospect Dan Neil to former star Sung-yueng Ki.
19-year-old Neil has broken into the first team in the early stages of the season, already featuring five times for the club and registering one assist in League One.
While speaking on the Roker Rapport podcast, White claimed that the young midfielder actually reminds him of Ki, who spent a season on loan with the Black Cats in 2013/14.
White explained his reasoning for the comparison, saying: “When I see Dan Neil, the biggest comparison I can make is with when we had Ki Sung-yueng on loan for that season.
“Because when we had Ki, he was so different to anyone I’ve seen in a Sunderland shirt. He was brave on the ball, great eye for a pass, always seemed to have time on the ball.
“And I would describe Ki as a classy footballer – until he signed for Newcastle, of course.
“Dan Neil has got all of that and he’s younger, and he’s come through our academy, he’s one of our own, we own him – he’s not on loan. And I’ve been really impressed.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan Neil, Sung-Yueng Ki and Sunderland…
Ki enjoyed a decent spell with Sunderland – playing 34 times, scoring four goals and assists three – before committing the cardinal sin of joining their rivals Newcastle in 2018.
The South Korean’s style of play saw him appreciated for his accurate yet adventurous passing, ability to use either feet, and his creativity too.
If Neil can bring similar traits to Sunderland at just 19 years of age, it really does look like he could be one to keep an eye out for this season and beyond.
Perhaps the youngster will help the Black Cats return to the Championship as they begin a fourth consecutive campaign in League One.