According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are going to continue monitoring Burnley man Dwight McNeil despite failing to get a deal over the line for the midfielder earlier this summer. New Everton boss Rafa Benitez was ‘keen’ on adding the 21-year-old to the Toffees’ ranks but it seems like a potential move next summer could also be orchestrated.
McNeil, who has featured in 15 league games for the Clarets this season, has failed to help his club secure a victory yet. Regardless, the Englishman has become a key member of Sean Dyche’s squad ever since he was promoted to the senior setup in 2018 at the age of 18. However, is the winger ready to make the step up to a club like Everton? And would this be a good buy for the Toffees? You can catch all of Burnley’s live football streaming to keep a close eye on the player.
Everton’s chase of Dwight McNeil makes little sense
Football runs in the blood of Dwight, who is the son of former Macclesfield and Stockport striker, Matty McNeil. Since breaking into the first team, the 21-year-old has been one of the most consistent figures in Burnley’s setup, evidenced by his 124 appearances for the Lancashire outfit. Last season, the Englishman played a pivotal role in helping Sean Dyche’s side evade relegation as they finished 17th in the Premier League table.
However, it was the 2019/20 season when the Englishman featured in all 38 of Burnley’s Premier League games as his 2 goals and 6 assists helped the Clarets finish in the top half of the table– a feat the club have managed only twice since being promoted back into the first division in 2016.
The youngster is certainly a fine midfielder and continues to feature on the left wing in Burnley’s 4-4-2 formation. Thus, while Everton’s admiration for the player is justified, the Toffees certainly do not need to sign the Englishman.
Although the Merseyside outfit spent only £1.7million on incomings this season, they managed to bring in the likes of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray to the fold. Both players have already started to actively contribute to goals this season, with their latest strikes coming against Burnley in a 3-1 victory for the Goodison Park outfit.
Signing Dwight McNeil would be an impractical purchase
Apart from Townsend and Gray, who have started the season in good form, Everton also have the likes of Alex Iwobi, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and James Rodriguez, with the latter still having a possibility to play for the club despite issues earlier this summer.
Thus, unless Everton conduct any outgoings between now and the end of the next summer transfer window, McNeil might be a surplus to requirements signing for the Toffees and thereby an impractical purchase as they could instead focus the funds elsewhere.