The 'prime example' Alex Neil wants his Sunderland players to follow after Sheffield Wednesday disappointment

Neil made eleven changes to his side for the Carabao Cup first round and watched his side fall to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday.

The team to face QPR on Saturday is therefore unlikely to feature many of those players, but Neil has pointed to the example of Elliot Embleton last season to underline how quickly things can change.

Neil also admitted U21 games will be important in keeping minutes topped up after the cup exit.

"The disappointing thing is really from the player's point of view, they've lost another opportunity to play [in the next round because we've not performed well enough and we're out the cup," Neil said.

"But by the time the next round of the cup comes round we might not be talking about the same lads, some might have worked their way into the team by then.

"I know some people will think I've taken the competition lightly but what you've got to do as a manager is prioritise things. It's not that I wasn't bothered about the cup because I was, but I still feel that if that team had performed as its maximum, we could have won the game. Unfortunately we didn't.

"I'm a big believer that if lads aren't playing and they aren't getting minutes, when we've got home games and U21 games, then they need to drop down and play.

"Equally they need to make sure they try and make their way into the starting XI, and they do that by impacting games.

"I think Elliot Embleton is the prime example of that. He came off the bench and impacted it probably two, three or four times and worked his way into that XI.

"He then goes on to score a goal at Wembley.

"The onus is on those lads to show us where they are and what they can do. What I will say as well is that it's not as straightforward as someone being ahead of them, you consider things like a change of shape that might not suit them. There are a lot of different dynamics."

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