Charlie McNeill enjoyed his dream debut in Sheffield Wednesday’s win over Hull City.
The striker and his teammate Jamal Lowe have filled in in the No.9 position in Ike Ugbo’s absence in recent days, and both have very quickly got off the mark.
McNeill’s goal couldn’t have come much quicker though, with the 20-year-old gifting Sheffield Wednesday the lead inside ten minutes.
It was due to the Owls’ brilliant high-pressing again that he made it a brace just nine minutes later, with his double going onto send the club through to the second round of the Carabao Cup.
The match couldn’t have gone much better for McNeill, who has never scored more than two goals in a senior campaign.
Rohl says McNeill’s debut brace is ‘not surprising’
Danny Rohl has now applauded his summer signing and has admitted it is ‘not surprising’ that he has made such an instant impact.
Talking on the club’s official YouTube channel, Rohl said: “It’s not surprising for me. When I saw him in the first video before we signed him, I had immediately an idea of what he can do with us. You see his quality, I see his quality in training.
“Today, he was really clinical in front of goal. I think it was a huge step for him as well. We spoke the last two days exactly about this because he always comes in a good position and also in training and today he scored two times.
“I think it’s good to see that we bring young players also compared with our experienced players together, and that’s the right way. This is the way we want to go.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s faith looks to be paying off
McNeill was always quite highly-rated at Manchester United and often received high praise, having previously netted 29 goals in 35 games in the U18 Premier League.
He went onto make his senior debut in 2022 but hadn’t featured since.
McNeill’s goal record in youth football proved that he has always been a huge talent, and you don’t just lose that ability overnight.
The youngster appeared to be struggling to make the transition over the senior football, but that doesn’t mean he never could, nor does it mean you give up on him.
McNeill only turns 21 years old next month and still has bags of time to develop and prove himself, while last night’s display shows that Rohl has already got him heading in the right direction.
If he is able to flick that switch and adapt to senior football – both mentally and physically – then the Owls could be in for one heck of a player.
