Dan Neil names the Sunderland player getting his reward for being 'one of the best' behind the scenes
Romaine Mundle has been in superb form for Sunderland since Jack Clarke’s departure
Sunderland captain Dan Neil says Romaine Mundle's superb recent form is no surprise to anyone behind the scenes and believes the youngster is getting his rewards for consistently performing in training.
The 21-year-old has scored in each of this three league starts this season, which have coincided with Jack Clarke's departure for Ipswich Town. The former Spurs winger has impressed with his all-round performances and has quickly established himself as a must pick for head coach Regis Le Bris.
While Clarke's departure was something of a 'sink or swim' moment for Mundle, Neil says that the signs throughout the pre-season programme suggested that he was ready to take his chance when it came.
"Romaine has been brilliant," Neil said.
"It was tough for him when he first came in because Jack was kind of the main man but even from the start of pre-season, I think he's been one of the best players in the group and especially in training. Jack has gone to the Premier League and we're all buzzing for him personally, he earned that chance to step up. That's give Romaine the chance to step up and try to fill those shoes and I think he could sank or swam really, and he's definitely swam. He's improving from game to game, he's been brilliant so far and long may that continue."
Neil returned to the starting XI from suspension and competition in midfield is growing as Salis Abdul Samed nears full fitness. Neil says every midfielder is well aware of the pressure on their place and believes it will benefit the team.
"I think we've got five, six including Milan really good players in midfield now," Neil said.
"I think that competition is really good, we can be utilised in different areas of the pitch and I think that's the beauty of the options we now have. We can all play as the sitter or as an eight, the gaffer has different options he can choose from and we all know that we're going to have to fight to keep the shirt and I think that competition is good for the squad."