Introduction…
#Underrated, #understated, #hardworking but blessed with a technique that continues to fly under the radar; in many ways, Dwight McNeil is the perfect representation of Burnley Football Club.
Ever since Dwight McNeil burst onto the scene with an astounding performance in a Europa League qualifier against Olympiakos in the summer of 2018, McNeil has been turning heads and whipping pinpoint crosses on the banks of the River Brun. He has received England under 21 callup’s, been one of the first names on Sean Dyche’s team sheet and the manager now accepts the big sharks of Premier League are inevitably going to snatch him up.
What his boss says…
Sean Dyche said “Look, we know Dwight is a player who will certainly go beyond us – but in a positive way. We don’t remotely want to lose good players.
But eventually some players will outgrow the club in the sense of a bigger club coming along and buying them because of their skill set.
Dwight is clearly a top talent. He is playing and delivering every week. If he remains grounded and keeps the hard work ethic he’s got – and I’m sure he will do that – then his talent will continue to shine through. And we’re not naive enough to think it’s going to go unnoticed. For a young player he sees the bigger picture very quickly. He is seeing the patterns of the game in attack and in defence, smelling out the right positions defensively to stop the opposition, or at least slow them down. And equally in attack, he can see the pockets to go and play in. He will run at a defender, carry it forward and take his man on, which is a great weapon in the modern game.To see players like Dwight continue to develop and absorb things, we haven’t over-coached him because when you’ve got a natural talent like that I always feel it’s best to let them develop and find their own way”
Where McNeil could have been…
If it wasn’t for the eleventh-hour intervention of Greg Walsh, an experienced scout who has watched McNeil grow from a tenacious teen into one of the Premier League’s breakthrough stars, young Dwight could have been making a name for himself at Burnley’s bitter rivals instead. He was set up to go to Blackburn Rovers but Greg Walsh intervened and sent him to Burnley. He told McNeil to not go to Blackburn and instead go to Burnley because Blackburn were on a downward slope at the time.
It’s one of those little things in your life that can go one way or the other. He could have gone to Blackburn and it might have all fallen apart.”
What future lies ahead…
Rochdale-born McNeil is valued at around £35million.McNeil has always displayed a maturity beyond his years, a trait his gravel-voiced gaffer at Burnley certainly appreciates, and it’s hard to believe now that Manchester United ever doubted his potential for a second. Five years on from being released by Manchester United, it is reported the 13-time Premier League champions want him back – though they will have to pay £35 million to rectify their mistake.Leicester City, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers , Juventus and Arsenal have been linked as well.
