Burnley midfielder Dean Marney has suffered a second anterior cruciate ligament injury in the space of three years – ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
The 32-year-old fell awkwardly – and was consequently stretchered off - during the Clarets’ 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday after a challenge on Mesut Ozil, and Turf Moor boss Sean Dyche confirmed the injury on Thursday.
Speaking to the assembled press, Dyche admitted Marney ‘has done his right anterior cruciate ligament, which is the one he did before’ and said the midfielder would ‘definitely’ miss the rest of the Premier League season.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City man suffered the same injury in February 2015, which forced him off during a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
With that original injury in mind, Clarets boss Dyche also said Marney has ‘come through this once before… in a good way, he knows the script, he knows what rehab is and how long it takes [to recover].’
Bitter blow, but Burnley boast backup
The midfielder’s most recent setback will come as a bitter blow for both club and player, with Marney proving to be a source of consistency during Burnley’s solid campaign so far: he has featured in every one of Burnley’s league games.
The news means that Joey Barton and Steven Defour are likely to be the Clarets’ preferred central midfield partnership going forwards, as Marney begins his recovery.
In light of the injury, Dyche’s squad boasts adequate cover in the middle with Jeff Hendrick and Scott Arfield able to deputise. The contrast is stark to the remainder of their previous top flight campaign, when David Jones was the club's sole specialist central midfielder.
While Marney may curse his wretched fortune with injury, Dyche extended his gratitude to his midfield enforcer for the impact he has had during the latter’s reign at Turf Moor.
The former Watford boss insisted Marney has ‘been an important part of it – not just this season, but what we’ve achieved here over a number of seasons.’