Sunderland boss reacts to Dan Neil's 'amazing' England call and has this pledge

Neil has rapidly risen to be one of Johnson's key players this season, his form initially earning a significant contract extension and now a first call-up into the England U20s side.

It is a moment of particular significance for the midfielder given that it is his first call since suffering a major knee injury, one that sidelined him for the best part of two years.

Johnson hailed England's set up for recognising his performances in the third tier, and admits after a turbulent week for the club that the youngster will be experiencing 'a lot of emotions'.

"Dan has always been in their system," Johnson said.

"I saw a lovely picture from Dan's dad of him playing in the U15s, before he had what was pretty much a two-year injury.

"What an amazing, proud moment for Dan and his family. And all of the people at the club who've worked with Dan, to see him now involved in that on merit, from his performances at a League One club.

"Credit goes to Dan first and foremost, and credit goes to England for their scouting service that's got him into that squad.

"Dan is going to be going through a lot of emotions at the moment.

"He's been magnificent for us, then we've lost a couple of games, he gets a contract, and then an England call-up... we've got to keep him steady.

"We want to use that confidence that comes from the gravitas of proving all the time he's a real player. At the same time, I've just shown him three positional mistakes from the Sheffield Wednesday game that have led to us conceding chances. That's not me digging him out in any way, it's about me trying to make him a better player and further our cause in the league as well.

"If you do that when they're flying, you can put your arm around them when they're not flying."

Neil's U20 side play Portugal on Thursday, November 11th.

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