Kevin Phillips issues Alex Neil verdict ahead of Sunderland’s return to the Championship

The Black Cats earned promotion back to the second division on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley Stadium.

Neil’s side won the League One play-offs having also earned a two-legged win over Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final.

But now the club will need to immediately switch focus to building a side capable of competing in the second division.

However, Phillips believes that Neil will be aware of the kind of business the club needs to be doing in the upcoming transfer window.

The former Sunderland striker has faith that Neil can use his experience to avoid any of the usual mistakes that promoted sides tend to make.

“It’s always a tough one isn’t it, and we’ve seen it when clubs have gone up from the Championship to the Premier League, and managers have thought, ‘Well you’ve got us here, you deserve that chance,’” said Phillips, via Chronicle Live.

“And ultimately they haven’t been good enough and it’s cost the manager their job.

“I think Alex Neil is too shrewd for that. He’s been around a while. He’s been in the Premier League, he’s been in the Championship, so he’ll know. 

“He will have had his targets already for if they get to the Championship.

“He will have targets, not tomorrow, maybe the next day he will give that list to the head of recruitment, whoever that is, and say, ‘Go get me those players.’ And it will be interesting just financially, whether they can go and get them.

“Ultimately they will need to strengthen in certain areas and I think when you look to put a squad together when you go up a league, the obvious one’s are probably down the spine of the team.”

Goals from Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart clinched a 2-0 win over Wycombe which secured promotion back to the Championship.

I