In the Premier League, we have seen very few players from relegation battling sides garnering attention. One who deserves all the attention is Dwight McNeil of Burnley.
After finishing the 2019/20 season in the top half of the Premier League standings, Burnley fans expected them to continue their fine form. However, with the club spending no money on transfers due to the pandemic and restricted funding, their form has hit rock bottom.
Until their win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in gameweek 14, Sean Dyche’s men found themselves in the bottom three. Even in the darkest of times, one player has outshined the rest, it is the 20-year-old Dwight McNeil.
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Even at the young age of 20, McNeil looks like a seasoned campaigner for the Clarets. In the last three seasons, he has already featured in 79 games across all competitions. The player enjoyed a great breakthrough season last runout with 3000+ minutes under his belt.
He also garnered 8 G/A in 39 starts for Burnley. In August, he was linked with a move to the likes of Juventus, AC Milan, and Manchester United, however, none of these deals materialized for the English international.
Former Tottenham and Liverpool player, Jamie Redknapp, was all praises for the young left-winger during last season. The versatile winger was hailed for his blistering pace and passing ability in the final third by the Sky Sports pundit.
He said:
"But Dwight McNeil, as I say, I really like him.Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.He’s got great energy from midfield. (Via: Lancs.Live)"
The player was in fine nick and has displayed great consistency. He broke several records as a teenager in 2019/20 – which made his manager, Sean Dyche, insecure about the player staying beyond 2020. Thankfully, the player renewed his contract with Clarets and it runs until 2024.
Since signing a new contract, he is yet to create an impact on the league, adding to Burnley’s troubling start. Despite starting all the games for them, the player has just one assist to his name this campaign.
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— Premier League (@premierleague) February 23, 2020
Dwight McNeil (20 years + 92 days) is the youngest player to reach 10 #PL assists since Raheem Sterling (19 years + 335 days) in Nov 2014#BURBOU pic.twitter.com/6ZSqZrPxjg
Dwight McNeil stats this season: (Across all competitions)
Games played –15
Minutes played –1337
Goals scored -0
Assists-1
Pass Accuracy – 71.5
Tackles -12
Final third passes -25
Dribbles–31
Wins -4
Loses -7
Draws -4
The pandemic struck clubs very hard. Without matchday revenue, clubs have started to feel the heat financially. Dwight McNeil might not be far away from a big-money move if he is able to repeat last season’s form.