Millwall boss Alex Neil confirms ex-Sunderland star will 'probably' miss Black Cats clash

Millwall boss Alex Neil has confirmed that his side will “probably” be without ex-Sunderland midfielder George Honeyman when the two sides face each other at the end of the month.

The Black Cats host the Lions at the Stadium of Light on March 29th, just after the current international break, and will be hoping to return to winning ways after a lacklustre display in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Coventry City on Saturday afternoon. For their part, Millwall are pushing for a spot in the play-offs, and moved to within six points of the top six with a last gasp win over Stoke City at the weekend. Mihailo Ivanovic converted a contentious 94th minute penalty to seal a 1-0 victory at The Den, and to keep his side’s promotion hopes firmly alive.

Speaking after that contest, Neil said: "Whether it's a penalty or not, we've all been victims of decisions across the season, but I thought it was no more than we deserved for our second-half performance.

"At this level, a lot of games are defined by key moments – whether you take that chance, whether it was a penalty, whether you can execute that pass, get that strike away. It was a really pleasing win [because] you're playing against a team that's fighting for their life at this stage of the season.”

But the ex-Sunderland head coach also revealed that his side could be without first team duo George Honeyman and Femi Azeez heading into important clashes with the Black Cats and Portsmouth over the coming weeks. He explained: “George will be quicker than Femi. Femi, it depends on how bad it is at the moment. I think it’ll be at least four weeks. George will probably be two to three.”

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Honeyman is understood to be sidelined with a groin issue having been withdrawn during last week’s 2-0 loss against Leeds United. The midfielder started his career at Sunderland, and would rack up 97 outings for his boyhood club before leaving to join Hull City in 2019. After three years on the books at the MKM Stadium, he signed for Millwall, and has since amassed 111 appearances, including 34 Championship matches so far this season.

For his part, Neil spent a brief but highly successful stint at the Stadium of Light in 2022, guiding Sunderland to promotion from League One before leaving the club to take over at Stoke City in August of that year. The Scot spent a little over a season in charge of the Potters before being relieved of his duties in December 2023.

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