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McDonald played the majority of his games in a right-back role and his early displays were good enough to catch the eye of the national team selectors, and Neil went on to make appearances for England at schools, youth and under-21 level. In August 1988 Everton boss Colin Harvey decided to replace the aging Gary Stevens with McDonald, of whom an FA tribunal set a price of £525,000 when he arrived from Newcastle. Neil having made 188 starts along with 18 as a substitute, scoring 28 goals on the way, at St James' Park as he left the Toon to continue his career on Mersyside.
Neil spent four seasons at Everton in a period of team rebuilding at Goodison Park, after the successes of the Toffees in the mid-1980s, under firstly Harvey, secondly caretaker boss Jimmy Gabriel and then returning manager Howard Kendall. As Everton began to feel the strain of financial problems, with attendances going down, Kendall had to start selling players to balance the books, the Toffees having gone into the red very quickly with there suddenly being talks about Everton having 4-6 million pounds of debts. McDonald, then aged 25, was one of the first shipped out, as a marketable commodity the Wallsend-born defender joining fellow Divison One side Oldham Athletic for £525,000 in October 1991, having made 111 starts along with 15 as a substitute, scoring 4 goals in the process.
McDonald spent just under three seasons at Boundary Park where he struggled with injuries for the first time in his career and made only 24 starts along with five as a substitute, netting just one goal. That disappointing spell with the Latics led to him staying in the North-West, but this time linking up with Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer in July 1994. A broken leg in only his second Wanderers game restricted his appearances for the Trotters though and Neil was only able to make six starts at Burnden Park before he moved on again after 16 months, this time heading up to Deepdale and Preston North End in November 1995 for a fee of £40,000.
Neil has always been one to take his post-playing life seriously and has been working on his coaching badges since the end of his playing days. He holds the A, B and C licences and passed his Pro licence certificate in 2004, coincidentally in the same year as ex-United boss Paul Simpson and Leeds coach John Carver who reportedly turned down the Brunton Park post yesterday. His coaching career began at Preston North End in the late 90s, after finally hanging up his boots, McDonald having made 25 starts along with 15 as a substitute, again, netting just one goal for the Lilywhites. Neil was soon snapped up by Sam Allardyce in 2000 though as the Bolton boss was looking for new coaching staff to aid the Trotters in their final push for the Premiership, and back to the Wanderers McDonald went.
McDonald held the reserve team and first team coaching positions for a successful five years under Allardyce at the Reebok Stadium. In the summer of 2005 Neil felt the time was right to make the natural progression up to the role of assistant manager though, and when Iain Dowie, the Crystal Palace boss, came calling McDonald chose to take the job of right-hand man, despite having turned down Dowie and the post 18 months earlier. It was Dowie who was to move on next though as the veteran Northern Ireland international striker turned manager took on the Charlton Athletic post at the end of May. Just two days later at Selhurst Park and McDonald left the Eagles with immediate effect with chairman Simon Jordan saying that he wanted to employ a whole new management team following Dowie's exit to Charlton.
Then that's where the vacant Cumbrians post came in after the resignation of Paul Simpson to go down to Preston North End two weeks ago. The name Neil McDonald had certainly been well hidden by United with numerous names being bandied about as racing certainties, with even SKY Sports News reporting this morning that the 62-year old ex-Cardiff City manager Frank Burrows was about to be installed as the new gaffer. McDonald it was though, much to the surprise of everyone, and it does mean a completely clean slate at the club with a debutant manager in place, although Neil has worked with Blues players Danny Livesey and Michael Bridges in his time at Bolton Wanderers. Nothing has been decided yet regarding backroom staff for McDonald, first team coach Billy Barr being more heavily involved in things for the timebeing and Neil joins the Cumbrians on a two-year contract.
So, good luck Neil and welcome back to Brunton Park.