Sunderland boss Johnson not expecting to lose Aston Villa target Neil

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·25 January 2022

Sunderland boss Johnson not expecting to lose Aston Villa target Neil

Sunderland boss Lee Johnson insists there's no plans to lose midfielder Dan Neil.

Neil is being linked with Aston Villa.

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But Johnson says: "He's technically a very good player.

“You see the way he manipulates the ball, and I think he's added another dimension to his game, to be able to drop and drive, and receive the ball and commit players.

“He's got that lovely dribbling technique – a little bit like a young Paul Gascoigne almost in the way he pops and drags it at the same time. As a defender, it's very difficult to commit because the minute you do, he's got the ability to skip by you.

“I do expect to see a couple of slalom-type goals from him this season.

"The hard work starts now, but we look forward to moving on with him in our future."