Dwight McNeil’s girlfriend has hit out at the ‘cruel’ world of football and claimed the footballer was ‘toyed with’ after being left ‘distressed’ and in tears following the collapse of his move to Crystal Palace.
The Everton winger, 26, was widely expected to complete a move to the South London club after undergoing a medical ahead of a loan deal with a £20million obligation to buy.
The Eagles had submitted a deal sheet for McNeil’s move, but they then failed to complete the relevant paperwork in time.
Everton sources said they fulfilled their part but Palace went quiet on finalising paperwork, effectively pulling out, and the transfer ran out of time.
And Megan Sharpley, girlfriend of McNeil, took to Instagram in a lengthy series of stories to hit out at what went on.
‘Dwight, I’ve always been in awe of your job,’ she began. ‘The way you’ve committed most of your life to achieve what only the 0.1 per cent achieve.
Dwight McNeil’s girlfriend has hit out at the ‘cruel’ world of football after his deadline day move to Crystal Palace collapsed at the last moment
McNeil had looked set to join Palace on loan with a £20million obligation to buy on Monday
‘I know you love your job, the sport and you know how lucky you are to do what most people only dream of.
‘We appreciate our lives, how fortunate we are, and the millions of football fans that keep the game alive and ultimately keep you in a job you adore. You’ve sacrificed a lot and most people don’t have much of an idea of the difficult hardships you’ve suffered and dealt with in your personal life. And we crack on, that’s who we are, we appreciate how blessed our lives are.
‘But the world doesn’t seem to accept that someone as fortunate as you is allowed to suffer hardships and feel sad. But you’re a human, a beautiful incredible 26-year-old human being. And no matter about money or the success you’ve worked so hard to achieve, you are allowed to feel.
‘Tonight, and the last 48 hours, have broken my heart to see how the football world you love so much can be so cruel to you.’
Sharpley continued: ‘To have something promised to you, to have been dragged along on an emotional rollercoaster, and to be toyed with until the final minute.
‘To have 4-and-a-half-years of your life promised to you, traveling, medicals, agreements made… promises made. To have prepared to move your entire life, our life 100 of miles away in the space of a few hours.
‘For it to be torn away from you at the last second,…