Burnley: Ben Gibson won’t be recalled despite Turf Moor injury crisis
Burnley are unlikely to call upon Ben Gibson despite injuries leaving them with a shortage of defensive cover.
The Daily Mail reported that the Clarets won’t extend an olive branch to the 27-year-old, who had been training with his former club Middlesbrough after falling out of favour at Turf Moor following disagreements with some Clarets staff.
Having already had to contend with several injuries, Burnley will now be without captain Ben Mee for the rest of the season as he was ruled out with a thigh problem. That blow leaves James Tarkowski and Kevin Long as the only two senior centre-backs currently in Sean Dyche’s squad, with untried academy prospects Bobby Thomas and Jimmy Dunne as backup.
Gibson became the Clarets’ joint-record signing two years ago when he joined from Middlesbrough in a £15m deal (as per BBC) but he has since made just six appearances, five of which came last season and only one of which was in the Premier League (as per TransferMarkt).
As per Daily Mail, Burnley have continued to pay his £40,000-a-week wages despite his fallout with the club, while he still has two years remaining on his contract.
It is a damning indictment of where Gibson stands with the club that, even with a sparsity of centre-backs, they appear in no rush to try and make up with the 27-year-old, who incredibly has cost £2.5m per appearance since his expensive transfer two years ago.
In that case, it may be for the best if Burnley were to simply sever his contract and pay out whatever he would be owed, if it is financially feasible to do so. He seems to have absolutely no future at Turf Moor if they are not willing to turn to him in their current scenario and, once the previously ever-present Mee is back from injury, any faint prospects of him getting into the team would appear even more remote.
Burnley fans, should the club just get rid of Gibson once and for all if they’re not going to turn to him now? Comment below with your views!