DANNY DRINKWATER has just six weeks to show Burnley they have not wasted £1million.
That is the sum the Clarets will have contributed to his wages by the time he completes his five-month loan on January 6.
Ex-England midfielder Danny Drinkwater can get back to the form he showed at Leicester, according to Burnley boss Sean DycheCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Danny Drinkwater flopped at Chelsea after his £35m switch from Leicester and is now trying to rebuild his career on loan for the ClaretsCredit: EPA
Drinkwater, 29, has still not managed a single minute of Premier League action for Sean Dyche’s men.
Burnley are paying £50,000 towards the Chelsea player’s £110,000-a-week salary, after he moved to Turf Moor in early August.
Drinkwater managed just one Carabao Cup match on August 28 — a 3-1 home defeat by Sunderland — before suffering an ankle injury a week later, when he was beaten up by six thugs after a boozy session at a Manchester nightclub.
Boss Dyche vowed to help Drinkwater — who has not played a Premier League game since March 2018 — to put that incident behind him.
And with Ashley Westwood banned for tomorrow’s home match with Crystal Palace, Drinkwater will be hoping to be handed at least a place on the bench.
‘IT TAKES TIME’
Dyche still believes the fit-again midfielder can recapture the form that made him a key member of Leicester’s title-winning side in 2015-2016 and earned him a £35m move to Chelsea.
The Burnley boss said: “I think Danny can get back to that sort of level. It takes time to get that true sharpness, but he’s capable of it.
“He’s shown he’s a very good player and you don’t suddenly become a bad player.
“One of the downsides now is players often don’t play a lot of football when they’re not in the side.
“Danny has had a number of reserve games and is the mix again.
“He travelled with us to Watford last weekend but it’s not easy to break into a team that has just enjoyed back-to-back 3-0 wins.”
Drinkwater has played a full 90 minutes for the Clarets’ Under-19 and U23 teams in the last ten days.
Dyche added: “He is ready and he is desperate to play.
“But he will only get that sharpness from games — and these days reserve games aren’t really a great indication of where you’re at.
“Danny should be looking to the future. I wouldn’t be worried about the past. We’re encouraging that.”
Palace have an injury worry over ex-Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.
Phil Jones rejects Man Utd testimonial in tenth year with club as ‘only his parents would turn up’
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
