While Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg have both been handed a rest in the last month, Neil has continued playing despite Sunderland already being guaranteed a place in the play-offs.
The Wearsider has started every league game since the end of August, and has only failed to feature in the Championship starting line-up once all season.
That is set to change in the next few days though, with Neil set to sit out either tomorrow’s Good Friday trip to Bristol City or the Easter Monday home game with Blackburn Rovers.
Ideally, Le Bris would also like to take Trai Hume out of the firing line for one of the two Easter fixtures, although he admits a lack of options at both centre-half and full-back makes it more difficult to select a side without the Northern Ireland international.
“I hope we can do that (rest Neil and Hume),” said the Black Cats head coach. “If it is possible, I think it is important to let the players have one game a week because that keeps them in the right rhythm.
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“But then, if it is possible to give them one game rest when you have two games in such a short space of time, then that would be better.
“The problem we have is that, in different positions, that is not easy. With the centre-backs at the minute, for example, it is really difficult, and it is the same at full-back as well.
“For Dan, I think it will be possible because now Salis (Abdul Samed) is back and Enzo (Le Fee) should be ready to start a game, so we should have enough options to be able to do that this week.”
Le Bris has been rotating his squad on a regular basis in the last few weeks in an attempt to ensure his key performers are in peak condition come the first leg of the play-off semi-finals.
That process continue over the course of the next two games, although Le Bris claims the quick turnaround between tomorrow’s away game and Monday’s match at the Stadium of Light means he would have been looking to make changes even if his side were still battling to secure a play-off place.
“We are going to have to manage the squad in these next two games, absolutely,” he said. “We are going to have to manage the minutes of the players with two games in the same weekend.”
