Dwight McNeil is ready to face the Red Devils with ‘no feeling of inferiority’

Beneath a detailed tattoo of Spiderman, Everton’s Dwight McNeil has a long quote from the late rapper Juice Wrld inked on his right forearm.

“999 stands for… whatever struggles you’re going through and make something positive out of it to move yourself forward.”

It’s a philosophy that helped McNeil recover from his rejection by Manchester United at age 14 to build a career at Burnley and kept him strong during an 18-month goal drought ended by his winner for Everton in Southampton last weekend. .

In America, 999 represents the opposite of 666, the mark of the beast.

Tonight’s encounter with United at Goodison Park not only gives Frank Lampard’s improving squad a chance to extend their unbeaten streak to eight games, it is a reminder for McNeil of how he managed despite being let go of Old Trafford.

“My dad was a United fan and so was I,” says McNeil. “I went there when I was five years old, but when I was 14, the coaches told my mom and dad that I had been released and they told me in the car on the way home.

“It was hard for me to endure and my parents’ main concern was that I was okay. United told us in March and said I could stay until the end of the season, but we decided it was best to leave completely and I went to Burnley on a six-week trial.

“I think the feeling was to try and prove the people who made the wrong decision and I think I managed to do that. Burnley has helped me tremendously. Although the quality was not that good, people were

faster and stronger and I was in the first team locker room when I was 17.

“The release of United was difficult at the time, but now that I look back on it, I don’t regret it.”

At the age of 22, McNeil has already played over 150 first-team appearances and was part of the England Under-21 line-up.

The only flaw in his game was a lack of goals, but Lampard still regarded £20million in the summer as a bargain price. Last weekend he got the nod for Anthony Gordon, who is valued at three times that amount, and justified the decision with an excellent attack from the penalty area.

“I’d had a lot of shots without scoring and there was a lot of noise from outside, so it helps my confidence a lot,” he admits.

“I know my stats are low, but I want to help them move forward. It’s about knowing where to go and the timing of runs to influence games. That goal is something to build on, the manager says he would look for ways to improve my goals and assists.”

McNeil already knew part of the Everton squad. He played with James Tarkowski at Burnley and Ben Godfrey and Tom Davies were England teammates. Midfielder James Garner was at United in the year under him.

Erik ten Hag’s side gave up six at Manchester City last weekend – Everton only conceded seven all season – but they have spent money on their squad that the Merseysiders can only dream of.

Their wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho together cost £158 million. “We look at the players rather than their transfer fee, we try to assess their strengths and weaknesses and how we can exploit what they are not good at,” said McNeil. “There will be no sense of inferiority. Every team in the Premier League has top players. United does that, so do we. We know what result we want.

“It’s a good time for us to play against United. They clearly played a tough game over the weekend.’

Dwight’s father Matty McNeil was a fixture on the Northwest non-league football scene, his career spanning from Altrincham to Chester.

“He still comes home and away to every game,” said the Blues forward. “He always says first what I could have done better and then praises me for what I’ve done well.

“As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten wiser and I don’t mind having a little confrontation with him, but he’s my dad, I’m going to listen at the end of the day. I owe them a lot for all those years, every training they were there.”

McNeil doesn’t think or expect Everton to be involved in another relegation battle he survived into the final week of last season, ironically at Burnley’s expense.

But no matter how difficult it gets, he will use the message on his arm as inspiration.

“I relate it to my life and also to football. I use this a lot,” he says.

‘That reminds me of it. I struggled a lot last season, this season is starting to get better, I keep trying to find ways to move forward and get better at myself.”

A sacrifice must be made. In all, McNeil spent more than two full days in the chair for his artwork, and he admits it hurts at times. The Spiderman image, based on Toby Maguire’s version of the character, lasted seven hours on its own.

He’s in a happy place, thanks in large part to Lampard’s influence. “He helps me almost every day, what he asks of me, how I can influence games. He listens to you, you listen to him. It works both ways’, he explains.

“I played with Tarks (Tarkowski), for me he has the fate for a defender and should be there with England. Jordan (Pickford) and Codes (Conor Coady) are also great guys. They say the right things, help you.

“We’re trying to avoid another dogfight at all costs. We want to create an atmosphere around the place that makes us stronger.’