Dan Neil had one thought when he was likened to a young Paul Gascoigne by Sunderland boss Lee Johnson.
“Wrong coloured stripes! But a great player,” said Neil, the latest kid to emerge from the Wearside academy striving to follow in the footsteps of England stars Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford.
Surprisingly local lad Neil, 19, has met Gazza, whose bustling style and manoeuvring of the ball resembles the former Newcastle, Spurs and World Cup ‘90 legend.