Sunderland AFC headlines: Blackburn Rovers interest in SAFC midfielder revealed plus Reading & Watford plans announced

Sunderland boss reveals Blackburn Rovers interest in midfielder

Tony Mowbray is confident that Dan Neil can develop under his management after revealing that he had been a potential transfer target at Blackburn Rovers.

Mowbray has spoken of wanting players with a ‘growth mindset’ and believes Neil fits into that category.

“Dan’s career is on an upward trajectory, he’s a very talented boy,” Mowbray said.

"I sit here now, and as Blackburn Rovers manager last year, he was very much on our radar. If Sunderland weren’t going to get promoted, we would have been trying to take him out of League One.

“Here I am now working with him every day, and I see the player I watched and thought he was. His passing range is very good and he can run all day.

“He’s one of the players we’re trying to get to break the box a bit more because I think he’s got a goal in him. He wants to learn and get better, and he wants to watch his clips after training.

“He wants to keep improving and, as a coach, there’s nothing better than a footballer that wants to improve and makes demands of your time to go and sit with him and talk through what you thought was good and bad.”

Sunderland’s Reading & Watford plans revealed

Sunderland will stay down south in between the Reading and Watford games, it has been revealed.

Sunderland face the Royals at 8pm on Wednesday evening before taking on Rob Edwards’ Watford on Saturday at Vicarage Road (KO 3pm).

Head coach Mowbray revealed Sunderland’s logistical planning at his pre-match press conference.

Mowbray said: “We will play Reading on Wednesday, and then stay down south rather than travelling all the way back up to the North East.

"There’s a lot of planning that goes into these things – we’re going to be training down there at a base before playing Watford on Saturday.”

Sunderland will be backed by more than 2,000 away fans at both games.