Top 5 academy graduates outside of the 'Big Six' | Premier League 2019-20

#5 Dwight McNeil (Burnley)

Dwight McNeil is the most exciting player that Burnley can call upon

Given their links to practically every exciting young player in the Premier League these days, Manchester United must be kicking themselves that they let Dwight McNeil slip from under their umbrella back in 2014. That year saw the winger – just 15 years old at the time – move from Old Trafford to Burnley’s academy, where he’s since broken through into the first team and made quite the impact.

A classical winger whose exciting style belies the defensive brand of football usually played by Sean Dyche’s Clarets, McNeil has plenty of speed and dribbling ability, and he isn’t afraid to use it – bombing down the left wing and looking to either send crosses into the box for the likes of Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes, or make a beeline for goal himself.

McNeil’s debut season in the Premier League – 2019-20 – saw him make 21 appearances for Burnley, and his impact was immediately felt; his emergence into the starting line-up coincided with the Clarets going on an impressive 8-match unbeaten run that practically cemented their spot in the top flight for another season.

The current campaign has seen the winger score 2 goals and register 5 assists in his 27 appearances, and in the process he’s made his England U-21 debut. If he continues on the same trajectory there’s no doubt that a senior cap – and probably a move to a bigger club – will follow, but for now he remains one of the best academy products outside of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’.