This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to The Sun, Manchester United are “keeping tabs” on Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.
What’s the word?
The England U21 international was on the Old Trafford side’s books when he was 14, but was let go from the club because his set-pieces weren’t the best.
“I was released by Man United when I was 14. Funnily enough, one of the reasons I got released was because my set-pieces weren’t the best. It was quite an upsetting time for me. I was still at school as well, I was still learning.”
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Now, The Sun claim Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sent scouts to keep an eye on the 19-year-old on numerous occasions, and that Burnley would be looking to receive a fee in the region of £35m for their prospect. Despite the arrival of Daniel James in the summer, it is further suggested that the United boss sees McNeil as someone who could play with the Wales international, rather than just compete for the one place.
Promising
Whilst McNeil’s name is unlikely to generate the same sort of reaction as Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho would, there is no doubting the Burnley man is showing signs he could be a very good Premier League player indeed. The teenager really burst onto the scene last season, registering three goals and five assists, and he has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign this year too.
The 19-year-old has scored once and racked up three assists already, whilst his underlying numbers also make for promising reading from a United perspective. He has averaged 1.3 shots, one key pass and 1.9 dribbles per game in the top-flight, and that ability to be direct and produce some end product is something the Red Devils could absolutely do with – that’s not to mention he’s doing it in the Premier League, whereas someone like Sancho hasn’t.
Speaking to the club’s official website back in October, Burnley manager Sean Dyche paid a glowing tribute to the huge strides the winger has made.
“I keep hearing all these stories about the other young men rolling around the Premier League – and rightly so. Dwight doesn’t get many mentions and I quite like that in a way because he keeps learning and keeps improving, but I will tell you, he is right up there, for me. He continues to grow and mature as a player and I think he is an absolutely top talent and a real positive for us.”
So whilst Sancho may be the star attraction, a swoop for McNeil could be the exciting under-rated signing that turns out to be top dollar for United.
