It’s not often that we see a club
often fighting in the bottom half of the Premier League producing
exciting homegrown talent. In Dwight McNeil, though, Burnley have a
young player who has the potential to be among the most exciting in
the league.
What makes him so special?
His composure and his ability to handle
the breakthrough. Thrown into a Burnley side that looked burnt out
and exasperated, McNeil began to produce regularly impressive
performances. He’s shown an impressive ability to get his teammates
on the ball, and has a decent range of tricks in his locker.
Crossing, shooting, and dribbling are
all key skills in a wide player and McNeil has them all in abundance.
He’s strong on the ball, he does not mind getting stuck in, and he
has a good decision making process when he is on the ball. It’s not
often that a young player is so good at creating chances for his
teammates, but he seems to have a strong understanding of both his
role in the team and what his teammates need from him.
For Sean Dyche, this maturity allied to
a natural work ethic should be very exciting.
Any concerns or doubts?
For McNeil, there aren’t too many
concerns outside of a propensity to give the ball away. His passing
is quite minimalistic at times, and even then the decision making can
be poor. The fact that he coves so much ground and gets involved
defensively means that, when he does get the ball, he can often make
the wrong choice to spring an attack.
However, for McNeil, these are small
issues that will be improved upon with time and more gameday
experience in the Premier League. For Burnley, this must be the most
exciting youth prospect they’ve produced in some time: McNeil looks
like he has the tools to reach the very top.
