Jim White wowed by ‘awesome’ Dwight McNeil as Everton question shared live on talkSPORT
TalkSPORT presenter Jim White was wowed by Everton forward Dwight McNeil after his “awesome” performance in their 5-1 win against Brighton on Monday [8 May].
The Toffees produced a superb counter-attacking display to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone with a stunning victory at the Amex Stadium.
Two goals each from Abdoulaye Doucoure and McNeil sandwiched in between a Jason Steele own-goal meant Everton now sit just two points away from the drop zone with three games of the season to go.
After praising the heroics of the former Burnley winger, White then left an intriguing question to the Everton fans surrounding their immediate future should they secure their Premier League status for next season.
“What he does do, Sean Dyche, he gets a tune out of players, particularly a tune out of players he knows,” White said on talkSPORT on Tuesday (9 May, 10:12 am).
“You (Simon Jordan) mentioned Dwight McNeil and he was absolutely awesome for Everton yesterday.
“He was asked how pleased was he to know that the destiny of Everton is very much in their own hands.”
White added: “I reckon there’ll be one question Everton fans are asking and it’s if they survive, what plans can be put in place to stop the same story evolving again next season.”
Superb McNeil
McNeil was mightily impressive against Brighton – a result which will have certainly provided a huge statement to their relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Leeds United.
From Jordan Pickford right down to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, every single Everton player held their own in what was an assured, dominant and classy attacking and defensive display to fend off one of the Premier League’s most exciting teams.
But, it was McNeil along with Doucoure who rightly took home the plaudits. The former Burnley forward has been criticised at times this season, for his lack of ruthlessness and a clinical edge in the final third, as well as his struggles to score on a consistent basis.
However, he answered those critics with superb aplomb on Monday. Not only was he influential in the attacking areas, as his qualities should demand of it, but his defensive work came up trumps again – a characteristic which really endears him to Sean Dyche.
McNeil certainly has all the makings of a top-level Premier League winger, but these sort of performances should be occurring every week not once in a blue moon. Should Everton secure their top-flight status for next season, it’s guaranteed that McNeil will be central to those desperate ambitions.
And White is certainly right, how will the Everton board ensure fans that this relegation nonsense doesn’t occur again should they avoid it? The club requires a huge amount of work behind-the-scenes to ensure they are battling it out at the other end of the Premier League spectrum.
This relegation talk is gruelling and tiresome, and Everton fans certainly feel it too.