Football League World
·2 October 2024
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·2 October 2024
Scott Parker has revealed that Zian Flemming could return for Burnley against Preston this weekend.
Burnley boss Scott Parker is hopeful that Zian Flemming will return to action when Preston visit Turf Moor this weekend.
The attacker joined the Clarets from Millwall late on in the summer window, in a deal that was an exciting one for Burnley given the talent they had lost in the final third.
However, the fans have yet to see Flemming at his best, as he has made just two appearances for the club, the latter of which was a 30-minute outing from the bench against Portsmouth.
Since then, the Dutchman has missed the past two games with a knock, which included the victory over Plymouth last time out.
Parker is having to contend with several injuries at the moment, with his squad stretched in certain areas.
Therefore, he will be desperate for the situation to ease, and he offered a promising update on that front, as the boss told the Burnley Express that Flemming and defender Connor Roberts could feature against North End.
“They were close [to being involved last night]. I’m hoping they will be back for the weekend and that would give us a bit more of a boost certainly. We could just do with a bit more with the quick turnarounds, a bit more fresher legs to freshen it up.
“It’s a young back four at this moment in time, we’ve got a right-back who is left-footed who should be a left centre-half or a left-back. Those boys are doing remarkably well.”
It will have been a frustrating start to life at Burnley for Flemming, as, like all players, he will want to be out on the pitch and showing what he can do, but he hasn’t really had the opportunity yet.
It’s worth noting that he also had a disrupted pre-season at Millwall due to injury, so he will be playing catch-up with his general fitness, and Parker will no doubt manage him carefully as he looks to integrate him into the side.
But, when he is up to speed, Flemming could have a big role to play, as he brings a lot of quality with his movement, and he offers another goalscoring threat.
At Millwall, Flemming was often the main outlet in attack, so it will be interesting to see how he adapts when playing in a side that should create more opportunities.
It’s fair to say that Burnley haven’t truly convinced just yet in terms of performances, but the pleasing aspect for Parker is that they keep picking up results.
Patience was always going to be required due to the high turnover of players at Turf Moor in the summer, and Parker is still looking to find the right formulas.
So, he will be delighted that the team are showing a strong mentality, and the fact they’re sitting second in the table should worry their rivals, as you get the feeling there is still more to come from Burnley as they try to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.