Dwight James Matthew McNeil[2] was born on 22 November 1999[3] in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, to parents Tracy and Matty McNeil, who is a former professional footballer.[4] McNeil has two younger siblings, Baillie and Chiara, and he attended the Oasis Academy in Oldham.[5] He regularly watched his father play in non-League football for Hyde United and first started playing football at the JJB Sports centre in Trafford.[6] It was there that scouts from Bolton Wanderers pursued him for a trial, but after initial rejections from his parents, Bolton eventually got their way and he started training with them.[6]
Club career
Early career
At age five, he was offered the chance to join the academy at Manchester United, the club he supported as a child.[6] He stayed in the United academy until the age of 14 when he started struggling for game time and was subsequently released.[6]
Within a week of his release, McNeil went on trial at the Burnley Academy.[7] In July 2016, he was rewarded with a two-year scholarship and was a regular member of the under-18 squad and occasionally played for the Development Squad.[7] In February 2018, he travelled with the first-team squad for the Premier League match against Swansea City but failed to make the match-day squad.[8] On 10 April 2018, following the end of his scholarship, he signed a professional two-year contract with the option of a third year in the club's favour.[9] On 13 May 2018, he made his first-team debut in the final match of the 2017–18 season when he replaced Aaron Lennon as a late substitute in the 2–1 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth.[10] McNeil scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win against West Ham United on 30 December 2018.[11] On 16 October 2020, McNeil signed a new long-term contract at Burnley, keeping him at the club until 2024.[12]
Everton
On 28 July 2022, McNeil signed for Premier League club Everton on a five-year contract.[13] Burnley and Everton came to an agreement for a transfer fee reportedly in the region of £20 million, including potential add-ons.[14] On 6 August, McNeil made his debut for the club in a 1–0 loss against Chelsea in the Premier League.[15] On 1 October 2022, McNeil scored his first goal for Everton in a 2–1 away win over Southampton.[16] On 28 September 2024 McNeil scored a brace against Crystal Palace FC, helping Everton defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 to get the club's first win of the season.[17]
On 30 August 2019, McNeil was included in the England under-21 team for the first time.[22] He eventually made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Slovenia in Maribor on 11 October.[23]
