Blackburn Rovers would have tried to sign Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil this summer had the Black Cats not been promoted from League One, Tony Mowbray has revealed.

Mowbray of course left Blackburn over the course of the summer following the expiry of his contract, after a five-year spell in charge at Ewood Park.

However, it did not take long for him to get back in the game, having been appointed Sunderland manager late last month, replacing Stoke-bound Alex Neil.

That is something that has seen him link-up with the versatile Dan Neil, who has started both games the Black Cats have played since Mowbray's appointment.

Now it seems as though the 20-year-old, who helped the club win promotion from League One last season, is a player the new Sunderland boss is already well aware of, having seemingly taken a keen interest in him while in charge at Ewood Park.

Speaking about Neil while discussing what he has been like to work with, Mowbray told The Northern Echo: “Dan’s career is on an upward trajectory, he’s a very talented boy. 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 take him out of League One."

To date, the midfielder has made 62 appearances in all competitions for Sunderland, scoring four goals and providing eight assists.

There are still three years remaining on Neil's contract with Sunderland, securing his future at The Stadium of Light until the end of the 2024/25 season.

The Verdict

You do get the feeling that Neil would have been a good signing for Blackburn had they been able to get it done.

As a young player with a good deal of versatility about his game, he is a player who would likely have fit in well at Ewood Park under Mowbray, and indeed his successor, Jon Dahl Tomasson.

However, Sunderland's promotion last season means it would not have been easy for Blackburn to prise him away from the Stadium of Light, especially given his contract situation.

With that in mind, it is perhaps no surprise this didn't happen, which will certainly be pleasing for Sunderland given his important to their side, while Rovers will likely be satisfied with their own summer business in the end as well.