Burnley agree fee for Oxford United defender: The verdict

The Irishman was an important figure for the U’s last season, but now looks set to take the step up to the Championship with the Clarets.

Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on whether the defender will be a good addition to Vincent Kompany’s side… 

Scoring four goals and recording one assist last season, McNally has shown he can contribute in the final third as well as defensively, making him a good player to have at Turf Moor.

It may be quite a jump for him to make considering Vincent Kompany’s side are likely to be pushing for promotion next term – but he played with some very high-calibre players last season including Mark Sykes and Cameron Brannagan.

He may not be a starter straight away – but depth is needed at centre-back and he could be a great backup option to have at first before he potentially forces his way into the first 11.

Competition is needed to maximise performance levels, so this can only be a good signing.

This does look as though it could be a rather good signing for Burnley going forward.

With James Tarkowski and Ben Mee on the move, and Nathan Collins seemingly attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere, the Clarets do need to add to their options in the centre of defence.

In McNally, they are getting someone who can help fill the voids that have been left in that role, and while this would be a big step up, at 22-years-old there is plenty of time for him to adapt and become an asset at this level.

A fee of £1.6million also looks to be easily afordable for Burnley given the funds they will have built up during their time in the Premier League, meaning this could be a useful piece of business from the club.

This would be a brilliant signing for Burnley as it marks a much needed change in