'Really solid' - Alex Neil 'delighted' with Sunderland ace who won nine duels vs Wigan

Alex Neil was full of praise for Arbenit Xhemajli’s performance for Sunderland in their 3-0 win at Wigan Athletic in League One on Saturday afternoon.

In the absence of both Danny Batth and Callum Doyle, the 23-year-old had to play at centre-back for the Wearsiders, and he helped his team to keep a clean sheet against the high-flying Latics.

It was only the second senior appearance he had made all season, and his first in League One, and the Kosovo international will now be hoping for more opportunities under Neil as the campaign progresses.

As cited by The Chronicle, Neil was left very impressed with the performance of Xhemajli when speaking to the media after the match.

The Sunderland manager gushed: “Arby hasn’t played in a long, long, time, so I was delighted for him that he got an opportunity and he put in a really solid performance.”

There should certainly be more to come from Xhemajli, who at 23 years of age still has plenty of years ahead of him.

The defender was a monster on the day, winning nine of his duels (the second-most out of his team-mates), while he also made a team-high three clearances and recorded one tackle (SofaScore).

It was a display of which he should be proud, and one that he can now build upon as he seeks to prove his worth to Neil and the Sunderland fan base.

In other news, these were Sunderland’s three worst performers v Wigan

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