Burnley boss Scott Parker makes Hjalmar Ekdal and Hannes Delcroix transfer admission amid lack of game time

Having recovered from long-term injuries, neither defender has been able to make a single appearance in the Championship for Burnley this season.

Ekdal did make his long-awaited return off the bench during last week’s FA Cup tie against Reading, while Delcroix remained an unused substitute.

Yet it was still telling that, despite Parker making all 11 changes to his side for the 3-1 after-extra-time win against the Royals, neither Ekdal or Delcroix made the starting XI.

At this moment in time, CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve remain Burnley’s first-choice centre-back pairing while both Joe Worrall and John Egan provide reliable backup.

Despite doing very little wrong, it means Ekdal and Delcroix find themselves well down the pecking order.

When asked if the defensive duo would benefit from a loan move this month, Parker said:

“There may be an option there, yes,” he said.

“I mean, both players really have got the quality to play football. They are both very, very good football players.

“From my position, of course I'd love to keep them here and be part of things. But I also understand what stage they’re at and whether game time is a big thing for them, which I'm sure it is.

“They want to try and play some minutes and it's a position in our squad that we are pretty stacked in terms of defenders, so there may be an option there.”