Will England boss Gareth Southgate call-up Burnley jewel Dwight McNeil to his Three Lions squad?

Dwight McNeil of England in action during an England training session during an England Media Access day at St Georges Park on March 19, 2019 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) | Getty

It's almost a year since England boss Gareth Southgate invited Burnley's headliner Dwight McNeil to train with the senior squad at St George's Park.

The Clarets winger, 19 at the time, had linked up with Paul Simpson's Under-20s group for the first time ahead of their 3-1 loss to Poland in the Elite League.

McNeil looked like a natural fit back then, despite having just burst onto both the domestic and international scene, and the 20-year-old's stock has risen higher since.

However, despite Southgate keeping a close eye on his progression at Turf Moor, the former Manchester United man insists that he's happy to stay involved with the Under 21s.

The Young Lions, governed by Aidy Boothroyd, host Turkey at the home of the Clarets at the end of the month in a key UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier.

"Of course it’s a big ambition," he said. "It would be a dream just to be a part of the national team but I don’t mind playing under-21s.

"It is still a good level, and we’re at the Turf at the end of the month so it would be really good to play at home.

"All the lads are good lads [in the Under 21s], a lot of them are playing first team football as well, which is good and it’s a good experienced group that we have."

And McNeil isn't the only Burnley representative pushing for a call to face the likes of Italy and Denmark amid preparations for this summer's European Championships.

McNeil said: "We’ve come really far as a club over the past few years. Quite a lot of people could easily get picked in the squad in March which shows you that, but it’s important we just carry on what we’re doing."