It doesn't take League Two defenders long to find out about Charlie McNeill when they prepare to come up against the Manchester United loanee for the first time.
The 19-year-old has been with Newport County since January, earning his first taste of senior football in the school of hard knocks. It only takes a quick Google search for any unsuspecting opponents in the fourth tier to find out this is a player with 600 goals for Manchester City at youth level and a £750,000 transfer fee taking him back to United as a 17-year-old.
But McNeill's age-group exploits are now a thing of the past. The counter has been reset to zero, not that the forward was ever taking his academy record for granted when it came to securing a career in senior football.
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One source close to McNeill told the Manchester Evening News that the chatter around his 600-goal youth career was "b**locks". It's not necessarily unusual for a forward to plunder hatfuls of goals as a child. McNeill himself knows it means very little now. As the same source said: "He knows he hasn't cracked it, but he knows he can be a game changer."
Unfortunately, the teenager hasn't managed to do that in his returns to Greater Manchester since heading to South Wales. Five weeks ago he lasted 64 minutes of a 3-1 defeat to Salford City. At least he played the full 90 minutes on Easter Monday, but Newport's six-game unbeaten run was ended by Stockport County, who cruised to a 4-0 win.
But those trips back closer to home don't tell the full story. He's scored twice for the club, played regularly and earned the trust of manager Graham Coughlan and his teammates.
"Charlie's had a real positive impact since he's come into the football club," Coughlan told the Manchester Evening News after the defeat to Stockport.
McNeill has been on the end of some rough treatment since starting his spell in League Two. In his first game against Swindon Town he got an elbow in the back of the head early on, something his teammates saw as a deliberate act to welcome him to his new surroundings.
But the diminutive forward has learned to cope with the physicality that is often a part of this level of the game. A source close to him describes him as being "quite cheeky" on the field. In the first quarter of an hour at Edgeley Park he chased back into midfield with Stockport midfielder Will Collar, who went down and handled the ball in his own attempt to win the free-kick. Newport got the decision and McNeill gave Collar a dismissive wave of the hand as he walked away.
Improving his ability to challenge for aerial balls has been a steep part of his learning curve at Rodney Parade. At 5ft 9ins he won't win many headers in League Two, but he has worked on being a disruptive presence. His ability to compete in the air helped create Aaron Wildig's goal at Tranmere on March 18.
That was a game that meant a lot to McNeill, with Tranmere keen to sign him in January. He scored soon after and celebrated with gusto at Prenton Park.
He was also determined to perform at Edgeley Park. Coughlan pulled him in last week and told him he needed to protect him and that he couldn't start on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Asked for a preference, McNeill immediately chose the fixture with promotion-chasing Stockport, when friends and family would be in attendance.
He came off the bench for the final 13 minutes against Northampton on Friday and scored his second goal for the club, justifying Coughlan's decision and man-management.
There is an acceptance McNeill needs to score more goals, although people close to him also point out he hasn't had many chances either. Creating opportunities of his own is something he's working hard on between now and the end of the season. He certainly fashioned his own, instinctive chance, when a 25-yard half-volley forced Ben Hinchcliffe into a save in the Stockport goal 10 minutes before half-time.
In the second half, McNeill latched on to a flick from Omar Bogle but lofted his shot over Hinchcliffe and wide of the post. It was his last opportunity of a frustrating afternoon.
It is all part of his learning curve at senior level, however. He began on the left of a narrow front three with Bogle and Callum Kavanagh, with positions regularly interchanging. McNeill spent time as a No. 10, through the middle on his own and then as a partner with Bogle. He had a couple of opportunities to play teammates in when collecting the ball in deeper positions but couldn't find the final pass.
Although it wasn't his day on Monday, coaches at United believe McNeill has improved his link-up play since moving to Newport and has become more involved in the game, adding more to his skillset alongside his elite finishing.
Coughlan was disappointed with his team's performance on the day, but reflected on the progress McNeill had made in the previous three months and how he has coped with the step up to senior football.
"The football is totally different. The football he plays at Man United, the facilities, the way they play, it's really really different to League Two," he said.
"So it's a great learning curve for him, the physical side of the game as well, it's something that he's getting to grips with. It's been a really good loan for ourselves, and we hope Charlie and Manchester United see it that way as well."
When assessing a move in January, McNeill's camp looked at a variety of options and had specific demands they wanted to meet. One source close to the player raised the example of Liam Delap, the Manchester City forward who has been prolific in age-group football but joined Championship side Stoke City on loan this season and has started just half of their games.
McNeill wanted his first exposure to senior football but he knew he had to play. Since joining the Exiles he has played in all 14 of their League Two fixtures, starting nine of them.
But there was also a desire to step out of his comfort zone. Until last year he was still 'living in a box room in Droylsden' as one member of his camp said. Tranmere weren't the only club from the North West to show an interest in January but it was felt a move further afield would be beneficial.
He was accommodated in a house share on arrival at Newport in January but quickly moved out and now lives on his own in a flat in Cardiff. The challenge of organising yourself, getting to training and games on time and building relationships has been seen as beneficial.
McNeill only turned 19 last September, but he has quickly settled into a competitive, hard-edged dressing room. He has made friendships within the squad and is a regular at the post-training coffee meet-ups, with the Caffe Nero near the training ground a regular haunt. He is said to be loving life at Newport and relishing the scrap for points and the demands that come with senior football.
A source close to McNeill believes United "will see a different player" when he returns in the summer. He has been working on his pressing from the front during his loan spell, a trait that will be required if he is to trouble Erik ten Hag's senior squad at any point. Darren Fletcher has stayed in touch and sent McNeill messages after games this season.
Les Parry, United's elite player performance manager, has kept a particularly close eye on his progress and Danny Keough, loan support officer at the academy. David Hughes, who joined the coaching ranks at the academy in the summer, has also kept an eye on his progress through his connections in South Wales, having worked at Cardiff City.
United believe the forward has really benefitted this season, having trained regularly with the first-team squad in the first half of the season, making his debut against Real Sociedad in September, when he played the final seven minutes of a 1-0 defeat. He is now adding invaluable experience in a competitive league.
When McNeill returns a decision will have to be made on contract talks. His current deal expires in the summer of 2024 and it is understood there have been no serious conversations yet over an extension, although Matt Hargreaves, who is set to join the club to lead their football negotiations, is a fan of the player having worked with him in his role as sports marketing director at Adidas.
McNeill returned to Old Trafford from Manchester City because he is a United fan and he is desperate to make it at the club. A loan spell at a level above League Two might be the next step on that journey and it's understood there is strong interest in taking him on loan next season already.
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