Scott Parker makes 'gutted' Burnley John Egan admission following Hull City deadline day move
Scott Parker has admitted he was “gutted” to lose John Egan during the final day of the January transfer window.
The 32-year-old left for Burnley’s fellow Championship side Hull City on deadline day for an undisclosed fee.
Having seen just 234 minutes of action since his arrival at Turf Moor, Egan was keen to get out and play far more regularly.
Despite his lack of game time, which was down to the form of CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve ahead of him, Parker felt Egan played a vital role behind the scenes.
“He’s probably been unlucky, John,” Parker said.
“Firstly, it’s important for me to say that John had been nothing short of incredible for me as a coach. That’s the biggest compliment I can give John.
“He was unlucky in terms of what was in front of him and how well the backline was doing, but everything I spoke to John about when he first came in was about what I needed from him and how the situation may look for him.
“I needed to know that I had an incredible professional there and one that would drive a young group in CJ and Maxi. I think John takes huge responsibility for what those other boys are doing.
“One, he was pushing them daily because they knew the quality, what was coming in behind them, along with Joe Worrall as well.
“But secondly, driving these young players, helping them, improving them…I'm gutted John's left to be quite honest with you.
“Fundamentally, he’s a very good human being that holds some real core values. I see that every day in him. He’s someone who drove a culture here, which was everything I wanted him to be.
“But with three months left on his contract and the security, plus he’s going to play football, so that meant I couldn’t stand in his way.
“While I'd like to have, that probably wasn't the right thing to do from my side. He leaves the club with our blessing and someone that, like I said, I’m really pleased what he did for us.”
Egan’s departure also leaves Burnley a little light on options at centre-back, with Joe Worrall
While Bashir Humphreys predominantly plays in the centre of defence, he’s been utilised at left-back for the majority of the season.
“We're a little bit short now there, it's clear,” Parker added. “I think we've gone from obviously being pretty strong there to now being a little bit light.
“Bash has come into the club as a centre-half but we've moved him to left-back. But I think he gives us cover there.
“But we'll be fine. We'll run with that now. The window's shut now, so we'll run with where we are and that's fine.”