Everton winger McNeil may make Everton change their plans – report
Everton winger Dwight McNeil may force Frank Lampard to change his plans after his debut brace, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The winger joined the club from Championship side Burnley for a fee reported to be £20m, and scored twice on his in a friendly versus Dynamo Kyiv on 29 July.
However, the Liverpool Echo has reported that his arrival may have changed the plan of manager Lampard, and forced his way into the starting team.
Liverpool Echo’s Matt Jones said: “As much as it is easy to play down the significance pre-season, Dwight McNeil has given Frank Lampard a substantial conundrum ahead of Saturday’s opener with Chelsea.
“That momentum will be important if Everton are to beat the London club this weekend and for that reason, I’d be tempted to throw McNeil in from the off as a result.”
Start McNeil?
McNeil showed what he can do during his time at Turf Moor, often being the bright spark in the Claret’s defensive system.
Is dribbling, ball-carrying ability, and energy stood out in former manager Sean Dyche’s flat 4-4-2 system and McNeil gained many plaudits for this.
However, despite all his clear ability, one thing that has lacked from the former Manchester United winger’s game has been end product.
Across his 147 appearances for Burnley, the former England under-21 international only scored seven goals and provided 17 assists, a clearly unsatisfactory goal contribution record.
Despite this, if McNeil can add consistent goals and assists to his game, he can make a significant step as a player and an all-around winger.
In addition to this, if his debut is anything to go by, he may be looking to add that to his game and if he can successfully do that, he may force his way into Frank Lampard’s starting 11.
In other Everton news, the club have asked for £20m for Andre Gomes.