Burnley winger Dwight McNeil is probably no longer a massive target for Aston Villa, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.
McNeil was linked with a move to Villa back in July, with Football Insider reporting that the 21-year-old was being lined up as an alternative to Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe.
In the end, though, nothing materialised, with Villa going on to sign Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen instead to strengthen their options on the flank.
As a result, Hatfield believes McNeil is not a priority for the Midlands club, though he refused to rule out a move in the future.
“The investment they’ve put in elsewhere has probably meant that Dwight McNeil is no longer a massive target for them,” the Aston Villa journalist said.
“I think the big one was probably the signing of someone like Leon Bailey. You know, they’ve signed him, they’ve signed [Emiliano] Buendia, players who are obviously in very similar positions to someone like Dwight McNeil.
“That’s not to say they won’t hold an interest in him come January or next summer.”
FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It is certainly not hard to see why McNeil would not be a priority for Villa.
As well as Bailey and Buendia, who grabbed his first goal for the club over the weekend, manager Dean Smith also has Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore to call upon so is hardly lacking in that area of the pitch.