McNeil: I want to win my first trophy

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest programme in October 2026 you can buy issues of the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

Ahead of a big run of games in October – summer signing, Dwight McNeil is ready to play his part in firing Crystal Palace forward across three competitions. Here he talks through his move to South London, why this month is so important, and what he wants to achieve at Selhurst Park.

Interview: Jack Lacey-Hatton

Football is full of near misses and ‘what ifs.’ If you end up playing at professional level in your mid-thirties, chances are that players will have had their share of near transfers aborted. Moves across the country that didn’t quite get over the line.

Dwight McNeil knows this more than most. The 26-year-old came extremely close to joining Palace at the last minute in the 2026 January transfer window. Ultimately, the move did not go through before the deadline.

Whenever this happens publicly, it can place the player in a difficult position. McNeil has always dealt with transfer speculation from his early days in football. When breaking through at Burnley, he was admired by a wide range of clubs. That meant he knew how to deal with it, by working hard and playing football.

Seven months after his initial switch from Everton broke down, he arrived in South London. This time the deal would go through. Palace had got their man.

“What happened in January happened,” reflected McNeil. “And then I just got my head down and focused until the end of the year.

“That’s all you can do. I was open minded to see what could happen when the summer came around.

“But when I heard the interest was still there, I knew it was definitely the right move.

“Obviously, I’ve only been here just over a month so I’m still getting used to it. I already knew a few of the lads, so that’s helped me settle in, as have the Manager and his staff.

“And I know this is a massive club. You can see that from the recent years, with the success that the team has had.

"That was a big part of why I wanted to come. It’s a club on the up and I want to be part of it. I’m really happy to be here now and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

McNeil had an unusual first game with Palace. Shortly after leaving Everton, he would line up against his former teammates in their stadium on the opening day of the season for his debut. The Eagles would play well that day, only to be hit by two sucker punches and eventually go down 2-0.

“Mentally it’s always a tough situation to be in,” says McNeil when asked about going back to Merseyside so soon.

“I’d never found it easy going back to Burnley, but that was because my family and my wife’s family are all from the area, which made it difficult.

“This time it was more because it was so fresh. Seeing all the Everton lads again made it strange, and travelling to the stadium.

“But when you arrive on the pitch, you can switch on – it’s a matchday so you just focus. So, when we’re against Forest, their manager (Oliver Glasner) and Dani (Muñoz) I think will be able to do the same and block everything out.

“I’d expect them to flick that switch on game day – we’ve got to be ready as well.”

October is a big month for Palace, with seven games across three competitions, and – by extension – a big month for McNeil as well.

The winger is hungry for more minutes to show his ability to influence a game.

“We’ve got a busy run coming up,” he adds. “But as a player that’s all you want to do – just play games.

“And with how many we’ve got in such a short space of time, we have a chance to get into a winning habit.

“Winning helps morale, builds momentum and that’s why we want to start with a win on Sunday against Forest. Every game from now until the next international break is massive and will help form our season.”

It feels strange that McNeil is still just 26-years-old with his prime years in front of him, mainly because he has so much experience already.

At the time of writing, the former England Under-21 international has 250 Premier League appearances to his name, his first for Burnley coming back in May 2018.

He was known at Turf Moor for his pinpoint delivery into the penalty area, as well as an ability to carry the ball up the pitch.

“I think that was part of our game at Burnley,” he reflects. “I’ve always made that an important part of my game.

“I knew my delivery could have an impact, because we had some big powerful lads in that team. We were also really big on set-pieces.

“So being in that team, around those players, I learnt a lot. It forced me to work harder on producing better deliveries.

“We worked so much on it back then, and it’s part of my game I’ve tried to take with me.

“But I also work off the ball and want to bring that to the team.”

A glimpse of what McNeil brings to the party was on display in Palace’s most recent home game before the international break.

Coming off the bench just after the hour mark, he delivered an energetic display, topped with his first assist as an Eagle, with Eddie Nketiah getting the fourth goal in a fine victory over Lech Poznan.

“I really enjoyed that night,” said McNeil. “I knew that the fans are great here and that they’d get behind the team, but I really felt their backing.

“That’s what I wanted to be part of when joining – European nights.

“The atmosphere from both sets of fans was great. It was a good win and gives us a platform in Europe.

“We’ve now got two big games coming in that competition. I want to play European Football and it’s important we go as far as we possibly can in the Europa League.”

If you watch the best moments and goals from those first 250 games McNeil has played in the Premier League, you quickly see he is a dynamic, skilful wide player, who often gets the crowd on the edge of their seat. In short – he’s a very ‘Palace’ player.

The Eagles were on the wrong end of his ability in September 2024, when he curled a stunning effort beyond his future teammate Dean Henderson and into the top corner, one of the best strikes of his career so far – part of a brace that day.

Now the hope is that he’ll be producing those moments in red and blue.

“I’ve come here to show everyone what I can do,” McNeil explains. “I want to play and be part of the team, helping the group out as best I can.

“More than anything I want to win my first trophy for the team. Those of us who joined in the summer want to keep this going.

“I want to get another trophy for the club.”

If McNeil can find his best form in Pierre Sage’s side, there is no reason he can’t do just that.