Dwight McNeil has told England’s young crop of talent they should be patient as they wait for first-team chances in the Premier League. The 19-year-old continued his rapid rise in the game with a starring role in Burnley’s 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday after an international break which saw him train with England’s senior squad while on duty with the under-20s for the first time.
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The likes of Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Manchester City’s Phil Foden have endured a frustrating wait to get their own chances and others have looked abroad but McNeil – who has been a regular for Burnley since Christmas – urged them to bide their time.
“Some of them are frustrated but you’ve got to be patient like I’ve been,” said McNeil, who joined Burnley’s youth system from Manchester United in 2014. “When you get your chance you’ve got to take it and I think I’ve done that really well.” McNeil said the chance to train with Gareth Southgate’s squad came as a surprise, but it was an opportunity he relished.
“I just got told over breakfast by [England Under-20s manager] Paul Simpson,” he said. “I wasn’t nervous, I thought I’ve got to take it like any training session with the lads. They were all really welcoming, which made it easier. “Gareth just told me to enjoy it, to express yourself and after he said I did really well so it’s a good confidence boost for me.”
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