There’s a theory that working with better coaches and training with top quality players will improve a player, but sometimes there’s no substitute for actually playing games.
Dwight McNeil has been impressing at Burnley this season and it’s natural that he might attract some interest from bigger clubs.
The problem is that he’s spent so many years trying to break into a first team, so surely it would be better to keep playing rather than making a big move and finding himself on the fringes again?
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That appears to be the opinion of his father when he was asked about interest from Man United, after Goal.com reported on some of his comments which were picked up by The Sun:
“He’s doing really well. It would be best for him to stay put at the moment and go that way.”
“That’s instead of him going to a top team and just sitting there and getting drip fed into it. He’s got to keep working hard and listening to his manager and coaches.”
“I believe with improvement he can be good enough for the top teams.”
That last sentence is a very important one, as he should also be in a better position to command a starting spot somewhere if he’s built up years of experience in the Premier League.
You can always look at the example of Dan James as someone who made a big move and actually got the chance to play, so it’s understandable that some players will feel they can do the same.
Clearly his father wants him to stay put for now, and you have to imagine that the Burnley fans would be very happy with that too.