Dyche not ruling out Gibson return
Burnley boss Sean Dyche says Ben Gibson could still have a future at the club despite allowing the defender to train with former club Middlesbrough.
Gibson joined Burnley from Boro in a reported £15million back in the summer of 2018 and he arrived at Turf Moor with a big reputation having earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad the previous year.
However, things have not worked out for the 27-year-old during his time with the Clarets, as he has been restricted to just one Premier League appearance over the last 18 months and that came in a 5-1 home defeat to Everton on Boxing Day 2018.
The centre-back had been linked with a move away from Burnley during last month’s transfer window, with former club Boro showing the strongest interest, but no such move materialised.
Gibson has featured in Burnley’s matchday squad 11 times this season in the Premier League without making it off the bench, and speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to St Mary’s Stadium to take on Southampton Dyche has confirmed that the defender is now training with Boro in a bid to boost his fitness.
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“It is quite a unique situation. At this time he is training with Middlesbrough there to stay fit and keep sharp,” Dyche told reporters. “Not everyone can play, we have and have had good centre halves and he is one. He couldn’t find his way into the team and frustration builds off the back of that.”
The righting certainly appears to be on the wall regarding Gibson’s future at Burnley, although he remains under contract with the club until the summer of 2022 and Dyche has not ruled out the possibility of returning him to the first-team fold at some stage.
“We will see, only time will tell,” Dyche added regarding Gibson’s future. “We will wait and see what the next step is for us as a club and for him as a player.”
