Everton manager Sean Dyche believes Dwight McNeil’s success has coincided with the 24-year-old becoming more aware that his value goes beyond goals and assists
A highlights reel of Everton’s season so far would feature plenty of clips of Dwight McNeil smiling. A contender for the Premier League player and goal of the month awards for September, the 24-year-old has produced several standout moments across recent weeks – including the two strikes that sealed a comeback win over Crystal Palace last time out.
For Sean Dyche, the sight of a smile on the face of the player whose career he has influenced perhaps more than any other is no small achievement, as it suggests one of his most self-critical players is listening to his advice.
McNeil earned his breakthrough in senior football under Dyche at Burnley and almost all of his 211 Premier League appearances have come under the Blues boss. McNeil has repaid that faith handsomely – including when his fortunes on Merseyside were transformed following the appointment of Dyche in January 2023.
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His recent form has helped Dyche once again and has provided a boost to the confidence of a player known to be a harsh critic of his own performances.
That is still a feature of McNeil’s character but his manager believes he is getting better at looking at the wider picture and acknowledging he brings more to his team than goals and assists.
Dyche said: “It is still something I speak to him about, the principles of what he does. Not just the play but you as a professional, how are you responding to the setbacks, what is the image you present on a football pitch? If you look at the real elite players around the world, it’s very rare they become affected on the football pitch. So I’ve been speaking to him about that. If it doesn’t work, if it’s not happening, you still do what the team needs, you still play a role in what the team needs and adapting to that.”
Dyche is a firm believer in the talent McNeil possesses and thinks it is that ability that often leads the player to be too critical when it comes to judging his displays – the knowledge he is so capable of finding the top corner with his left foot only increasing his frustration in the games when it does not quite work out.
The Everton manager continued: “Dwight is one of those players where, because he’s so good with the ball, technically, and he can find passes and goals, he doesn’t always feel he’s contributed and puts a lot of pressure on himself… we assure him, ‘no, no you contributed a lot today for the team, it can’t be your day every single time’. So [we go through with him] what’s your role in the team?”
McNeil’s increase in productivity has largely followed Dyche’s willingness to move him to a central attacking role behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin one that many supporters believed would fall to Iliman Ndiaye after his arrival from Marseille in the summer. Instead, McNeil is in the process of making the position his own.
For all the highlights he has created in the ‘10’ role, Dyche remains insistent McNeil has much to do to develop in what is a relatively new position for him. For the manager that means not just contributing scorching strikes and clever passes, it means improving his game defensively.
He said: “I think that’s another adjustment that he will make playing in the 10 role. If he can’t be the one that makes the difference going forward, is he playing that protective role? Is he doing the hard yards? Is he breaking up the play? Is he stopping the centre- backs who look to carry and look to play?
“That’s another side of the role that he’s got to learn. But as he matures as a player he is still more self-critical, but he’s beginning to unravel it a little bit more and just be a little bit more relaxed about his own criticism.
“And remember, the big thing for me, I always say to him, play with a smile on your face. When you’re smiling and you’re playing football, you’re in good shape. If it turns into a grimace you can feel it on him, it comes out of him, so I say just play with a smile.”