McNeil keen to improve under Lampard as £20m move to Everton from Burnley is confirmed

Dwight McNeil thinks Frank Lampard will help make him a better player after his move to Everton from Championship side Burnley was announced.

McNeil has penned a five-year deal and according to BBC Sport, he has joined Everton for a fee of around £20m.

The 22-year-old netted seven goals in 137 Premier League appearances for Burnley prior to their relegation.

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McNeil, who started his career at Manchester United before joining the Burnley academy, revealed he is looking forward to working under Lampard.

“It is an amazing feeling to sign,” he told evertontv.

“When I heard about Everton’s interest I wanted to get it done straight away because of the club and how good the team is.

“I feel playing under a manager like Frank Lampard, he will help me to get my stats up – and that is what I want to do and improve my game.

“Speaking to the manager about what they want going forward, it really excited me and appealed to me. I wanted to be part of it. He knows me as a player, as does (director of football) Kevin Thelwell. I want to work hard and do well for the team and for the fans.”

Lampard has called for reinforcements this summer as he looks to avoid the type of relegation dogfight which almost cost Everton their top-flight status last year.

“I have been a big admirer of Dwight for some time,” the former Chelsea boss said.

“He has huge talent and is exactly the type of player we want to bring into the squad to help us improve.”

McNeil becomes Everton’s third summer signing and joins former Burnley team-mate James Tarkowski in the Everton dressing room along with Ruben Vinagre, who has signed on a season-long loan from Sporting Lisbon.

Vinagre has suggested that it is a “dream come true” to make the move to Everton:

“It’s a dream come true to join a big club like Everton,” Vinagre told evertontv. “The opportunity to work with very good players and a very good coach in Frank Lampard made me excited to sign.

“The manager is a football legend. Everybody knows him and the opportunity to work with and learn from him and someone like Ashley Cole – one of football’s best left-backs – is very big for me.

“Kevin was important, too, because he knows me very well from when we worked together at Wolves. He explained to me about Everton’s proud history and the qualities you need here because it’s a very big club and you have to give everything for the supporters.”