Dwight McNeil: I'm ready to be Everton's Michael Jordan in our Last Dance

Without a hint of irony, Everton’s Dwight McNeil says he has sought motivation ahead of the biggest game of his life by binge-watching the acclaimed Michael Jordan documentary ‘The Last Dance’.

Evertonians hope the symbolism stretches to matching Jordan and his legendary Chicago Bull team-mates’ knack of emerging victorious from final day drama.

“I’ve been watching it and my missus wanted to see it. The way Michael Jordan is, with his persona and his personality, we really enjoyed it,” says McNeil, agreeing it could be inspired viewing before the final Premier League showdown.

So if the team needs someone to take that heroic winning shot like  Jordan in his prime, is McNeil ready to step up?

“Definitely,” he says, without hesitation.

Goodison anxiety has hit epidemic status as Everton seek the victory over Bournemouth to secure Premier League status, which is why McNeil momentarily tuned out as relegation rivals Leeds and Leicester City missed the chance to make the task of Sean Dyche’s side tougher, transporting himself to 90s Chicago instead.

“I love watching football, I’ll usually watch any game, but the games of those two I just couldn’t watch,” says McNeil.

“I decided to check out the result afterwards. It is in our hands now. That is why there is more confidence and everyone is more relaxed. We know a win means the job is done. We had a good start to the week and now we have to finish it right.”

McNeil has further cause to inspire Everton's survival fight. A year ago he was part of the Burnley side relegated on the final day and can testify how it impacts beyond the team.

“I had never been in that situation before,” he says.

“It did not hit me until it all happened, especially on the last day the way it did. I had been at the club for a long time and it is something you never want to experience. There is the family point of view, as well, having to take in the whole situation.”

'I knew I didn’t play my best football'

The 23-year-old’s dip in form before the drop accentuated the pain.

“When it happened it was more like disappointment within myself. I didn’t score that season and I knew I didn’t play my best football. That’s where I found it difficult,” says McNeil.

“As part of the squad you feel a sense of responsibility for the team going down. I can’t go back and change it. But looking back, it was not the way I wanted to end my time at Burnley."

There is no danger of McNeil being held accountable this time.

As he sits in the canteen at Everton’s Finch farm, McNeil cuts a more confident figure from that who was on the fringes as Frank Lampard’s reign unravelled.

The winger says his part in the 5-1 win at Brighton - the game above all others which has put Everton in such an advantageous position - was ‘probably the best individual performance of my career’. Dyche has simplified the instructions to McNeil, his directness a potent attacking weapon.

“It took me a while to settle in. Now I’m enjoying my football again and getting to play regularly,” he says.

“Being in this position (on the final day) again feels different. I am going into the game with more confidence.

“That’s come from getting myself in better positions to impact more games, whether that’s goals or assists. I’m trying to get in the right positions at the right times.

“I’ve been trying to improve that side of my game because I know I need to be scoring more and getting more assists.

“I did have a chat with the manager when he arrived. All of my career I’ve just worked under him, really – just the gaffer and his coaching staff – so they know what I’m like as a player and as a person. They wanted to see where my head was at and to see how they could get the best out of me.”

'The manager has told us what we need to do'

And although publicly Dyche is not one for whipping up the crowd with rousing, Churchillian rally cries, behind the scenes it seems to be a different story.

“The gaffer shows how he leads. He told us what we need to do,” says McNeil.

"He pointed to the results last weekend and emphasised it is in our hands.. There was motivation in there, telling us what he wants from us on Sunday with the focus on mentality and tactics."

Relegation at Turf Moor proved to be McNeil's last dance at Burnley. He believes Everton survival will enable Dyche to stop the club shuffling in and out of the bottom three.

“This season is completely different (to Burnley’s relegation) – a different environment with different players," he says.

"The goal is to stay up on Sunday, and then come back in the summer to reflect on where we could have done better, have a good pre-season and hopefully kick on.

“We want to do it for ourselves, we want to do it for the fans, and we want to do it for the club.”