Burnley favourite Ben Mee backed to become 'good coach' after retirement
Burnley’s interim boss Mike Jackson has backed former Claret Ben Mee to become a successful coach.
It comes after the defender announced his retirement at the age of 36, following his exit from Sheffield United.
Mee spent 11 seasons with the Clarets, first signing on loan before sealing a permanent move from Manchester City in 2012.
He made 376 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals, and was part of two promotion-winning sides, while also playing a crucial role in the team that qualified for Europe.
Not only that, Mee was part of Jackson’s caretaker team during his first interim spell in charge, back in 2022 after Sean Dyche’s sacking.
The Burnley Express has launched a new WhatsApp channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our Burnley Express WhatsApp channel.
Having come to know Mee well, Jackson is confident his former colleague will be successful in whatever he decides to do next.
“Obviously he's been incredible for Burnley,” he said. “But he’s now decided to retire.
“He was someone in that group of players, when I was here last time with them, they were a group of men who'd been together for so long.
“He was the captain of them. They'd all grown up together. A lot of them played in the Championship together. They earned the right to be in there and fought for it like mad, so I wish him all the best in his retirement.
“I'm sure you'll see him somewhere around in coaching. If he puts the same sort of effort, because he's a clever guy as well, he's intelligent, so I'm sure he'll be working and be a very good coach as well.”
Your next Burnley FC read: How you can quiz Kieran Maguire about the state of Burnley's finances