- McNeil turns 25 on Friday but finds himself on a list among some of league’s elite
- He had had mixed career but is now establishing himself as one of Everton’s stars
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There are plenty of familiar names on the all-time list of Premier League starts made before the age of 25.
Nine of the top 10 ‘young bucks’ became established stars who won major trophies and played for England. Everyone knows the lasting achievements of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Raheem Sterling, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, Declan Rice, Gareth Barry, James Milner and Emile Heskey.
But the other member of this elite group is more surprising. Dwight McNeil has never been capped at senior level and has spent nearly his whole career in the bottom half of the table with Burnley and Everton.
Yet as he celebrates his 25th birthday on Friday, McNeil deserves huge respect for already registering 197 Premier League starts, often in difficult circumstances as a forward in a struggling team.
McNeil was almost 19 when he made his first for Burnley against Manchester United in 2018 – considerably older than the likes of Rooney and Sterling when they made their breakthroughs.
He’s made up for lost time since, hardly ever missing games – the vast majority with Sean Dyche as his manager – and earning 10 caps for England under-21s.
Dwight McNeil is included on a Premier League top 10 list as he approaches his 25th birthday
He joins likes of Man United legends Rio Ferdinand (left) and Wayne Rooney (right) on the list
Frank Lampard is another name on the list of the most Premier League appearances before 25
Having made his reputation as a hard-working winger, McNeil has been entrusted with the No 10 role at Goodison Park this season and nobody at the club has bettered his three goals and three assist this term.
It’s to McNeil’s credit how he’s made an impact in the toughest league in the world by overcoming serious challenges along the way.
Rejected by Manchester United at 14, even Dyche admits he was surprised by McNeil’s progress at Burnley.
As an established £15million signing at Everton, the player also dealt with difficult family circumstances at the end of 2023 when girlfriend Megan required urgent surgery to have organs removed.
McNeil spent his time at the hospital when he wasn’t playing and has since acknowledged: ‘What happened changed me as a person. I actually think for the better, because I had more responsibility.
‘As bad as it was, I found ways to take positives from it, to care for someone I love.’
McNeil’s father Matty was a lower league striker for Macclesfield and Stockport but Dwight’s wonderful left foot marked him out as a winger and he idolised Ryan Giggs.
He first joined United’s set-up aged five but nine years faced the setback of being let go – ironically James Garner was also at the club and is now with him at Goodison Park.
McNeil dealt with difficult circumstances in 2023 when his girlfriend Megan was hospitalised
He joined Manchester United at the age of five but was released by the club when he was 14
‘The coaches told my mum and dad I was released and I found out going home in the car,’ recalls McNeil.
‘It was hard for me to take and my parents main concern was that I was alright. I went on a six-week trial to Burnley, the feeling was to try and prove the people who made the decision wrong.
‘I think I managed to do that. Burnley helped me massively. I was in the first-team at 17, training with people who were faster and stronger. Looking back I don’t have any regrets.’
Once he’d broken into Dyche’s first-team, McNeil was never out as The Clarets managed to maintain their top-flight status against the odds.
Even then, Dyche championed his player for England though the ultimate accolade didn’t come.
‘He’d be playing full seasons in his early 20s and still go under the radar,’ reflected the manager. ‘He wasn’t even nominated for the PFA young player of the year which I found impossible when he’d played every game.
‘When he was left out of England Under-21s, I’d think they must have some blooming good player for Dwight to miss out. He’d been an effective part of a team that finished 10th.’
McNeil’s work ethic was the polar opposite the stereotype of a fancy winger.
Joining Burnley at 17, he went onto shine for the club under current manager Sean Dyche
Even Dyche admitted he was surprised by the player’s progress and backed him for success
McNeil worked on the defensive side of his game under Dyche, which impressed the manager
‘The positive side of Burnley not having the ball all the time is he could see the defensive side of the game as much as any wide player in the league,’ added Dyche.
‘That honesty is of massive value for managers. If you work for Pep Guardola, you have to run like mad. Never under-estimate the power of that.’
Ironically, McNeil’s only brief spell out of Burnley’s XI came shortly before Dyche was sacked at Turf Moor. The club couldn’t avoid relegation but McNeil stayed in the top division by securing a move to Everton, with Dyche then joining him in January 2023.
By then, McNeil had matured, and won over the Goodison Park fans who weren’t initially convinced by their club signing a winger from Burnley.
His outlook on life is reflected in the body art he’s got.
Beneath a detailed tattoo of Spiderman, McNeil has a lengthy quote from rapper Juice Wrld inked onto his right forearm: ‘999 represents … whatever struggle you’re going through and turning it into something positive .’
In a football sense, playing for Everton has sometimes felt like an emergency. McNeil has helped them survive two nail-biting relegation battles and a points deduction.
Once criticised for a lack of end product, he is now one of the team’s main creative outlets.
Everton fans were not initially convinced by the signing, but he won them over soon enough
At the end of September, he single-handedly secured the team’s first win of the season when his brilliant long-range curler and sharp volley secured a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.
‘It’s about knowing where to be and timing runs to impact games,’ he says of his new position.
‘Every time I’ve played centrally I’ve enjoyed it because I feel like I’m always involved in the game.’
McNeil’s dedication saw him work on technical aspects of his game during the summer, dad alongside him at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground
‘After every game, my dad will tell me what I’ve done well, what I’ve not done well – and I’m always keen to hear it. I want to be pushed,’ he says.
‘I’ve also spoken a lot to Dom [Calvert-Lewin] and the strikers in terms of what they want. As a No 10, you’re the one who is generally closest.’
This could be an exciting period for Everton with a prospective takeover from Dan Friedkin and a move to a new stadium both in the offing.
As McNeil blows out his 25 candles, he’ll be aware he’s not reached the career heights of others on the all-time list, three of whom – Barry, Rooney and Lampard – also had Everton connections.
But the statistics don’t lie. McNeil has established himself as a Premier League mainstay whilst still a young man and should be recognised as such. And the best may be yet to come.