Sean Dyche would have been seething as he observed Jeff Hendrick quietly slip out of Burnley at the end of his contract. Last month, Dyche was publicly annoyed with his chairman, Mike Garlick, and the departure of Hendrick would have touched a pressure point or two. The Irishman was a key cog in the wheel for Dyche.

Hendrick was signed as a central-midfielder but he played predominantly on the right in a 4-4-2 system. He was asked to be a pragmatic winger, somebody to protect the shape of the team while Dwight McNeil bombed forward on the left. His selfless attitude was really important. 

The 28-year-old is yet to find a club but there is interest from Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United, as reported by ChronicleLive. But Hendrick would be more than welcome back at Turf Moor. 

There was no ill-feeling towards the midfielder when he decided not to extend his contract. The anger was aimed at Garlick who waited until the last minute to try and patch together something for players with expiring deals. Communication was poor from the man with the cash. But Garlick will point to his £7-million January buy as vindication for allowing Hendrick to leave.   

Josh Brownhill has performed exceptionally well since coming into the team. The former Bristol City man initially replaced Hendrick at right-midfield and put in some tremendous work. More recently, Brownhill has impressed in the centre, deputising for the injured Jack Cork

Irrespective of his impact, however, Burnley do miss Hendrick.

Leaving a hole

He was a versatile option and his selflessness meant that he would be happy to play anywhere for his manager. It seems crazy to think that Garlick had taken him for granted; the player left the club without anybody else lined up. 

It seems unlikely but the Clarets could do worse than offering their former player an olive branch. Give him a small pay rise on a two or three year deal. Hendrick previously earned a weekly salary of £35,000, as per Spotrac.

A steady increase is certainly feasible given the departures of Joe Hart (£45,000-per-week) and Aaron Lennon (£35,000) while Ben Gibson (£40,000) should also be on his way out of the club. Bringing Hendrick back could save Garlick millions in the transfer market and money matters even more as a result of the world's recession. 

As it is, a return to Turf Moor wouldn't be the best look for Hendrick. He was linked with AC Milan in June, as reported by Sky Sports, and one imagines that he harboured aspirations of a move to a bigger club. Re-signing with Burnley would be an indication that his ambitions were misplaced. Still, he could do worse. 

Hendrick is a well-liked member of the Burnley squad and Dyche loves him. He knows he will get minutes with the Clarets and he knows what is expected of him. A new club of a similar level to Burnley won't necessarily have provide Hendrick with the same warmth that he had in East Lancashire. 

A return is certainly not on the cards but it could make legitimate sense, for both the player and the club, to engineer one. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author