Burnley have suffered a "big injury" to a first-team player ahead of their Championship clash with Leeds United, manager Scott Parker has confirmed.
Burnley face huge Leeds clash
The Clarets return to league action with a high-profile meeting with Leeds on Saturday lunchtime, in what promises to be a testing game off the back of the international break.
Burnley were among the leading candidates to secure promotion to the Premier League at the start of the season, and the early signs suggest that they may well be right in the mix. Parker's side are sixth in the table after four matches, and while points have been dropped twice, it would be a surprise if they weren't at least in and around the playoff positions throughout the campaign.
As for Leeds, they are one point and two places ahead of the Clarets in fourth, even though Daniel Farke has found himself under pressure at times. Saturday's clash at Elland Road may tell us a lot more about both teams, with an away win at a daunting ground acting as a real signal of intent by Burnley.
Parker has been handed an injury blow in the lead-up to the weekend action, however, with one important player set for a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Parker confirms "big injury" to Burnley ace
Speaking ahead of the Leeds game, with quotes provided by The Burnley Express, Parker confirmed that Manuel Benson won't be available after picking up a "big injury", with "months" on the sidelines looking possible:
"Benny has got a bit of a big injury, so he won’t be around for a number of weeks, maybe months. That’s the big disappointment from the [Blackburn] game regarding Benny in that sense, having come on, but hopefully he can recover as quickly as possible but we won’t be seeing him for a little while. It’s his calf/his achilles. We’ve obviously scanned him and there’s obviously a problem there. He’s going to need time now to recover and get it right to re-boot him up and get him ready for when he’s fit."
Benson may not be one of the first names on Parker's team sheet, being limited to 10 minutes of Championship action so far this season, but losing him for such an extended period of time is far from ideal.
Squad depth is so vital in the Championship, given the relentless nature of the fixture schedule, so suddenly not having the 27-year-old to call upon for much of the remainder of the year isn't ideal.
Benson has done well in a Burnley shirt since arriving from Royal Antwerp in 2022, scoring 13 goals in 47 appearances, while Sam Parkin has hailed him as "electric" in the past, highlighting what a big miss he is going to be.
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ByStephan GeorgiouApr 22, 2025
Hopefully, the Clarets will cope without him, still sitting pretty near the top of the Championship table upon his return, before he has a big impact later in the season.