Burnley manager Sean Dyche insists Liverpool loanee Jon Flanagan is enjoying his time at Turf Moor, despite receiving little first-team game time since joining the club.
The Scouse full-back joined the Championship title winners on a season-long loan in the summer transfer window.
It was a move that caused an element of surprise among Reds fans with Flanagan providing welcome cover at full-back, but one that was understood with the defender needing regular action after 18 months out injured.
However, that envisaged match time hasn’t yet sufficed for Flanagan, who has been an unused substitute four times in the Premier League and has played just once, in the League Cup against Accrington Stanley.
But though seeing his match time severely restricted, Dyche claims the Reds loanee is enjoying life with the Clarets and is certain Flanagan is benefiting from his time at his club.
“Flanners has fitted in well here and he’s getting back to real fitness and sharpness, it takes a long time, we’ve seen it with our lads. He’d been out for a long time”, Dyche told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“He’s enjoying it, he wants to play of course but he’s enjoying what we offer here.”
Liverpool had attempted to put a stop to situations where loan players aren’t handed the appropriate match action needed, by introducing a ‘playing’ clause in deals for departing loanees.
It was reported during the summer that Liverpool now insist that the loan team must agree to play their Anfield arrival in at least 75 per cent of the available game time, or risk facing financial ramifications from Merseyside.
But Dyche denies that this is the case with Flanagan, who the Clarets boss insists he is under no pressure to play.
The Burnley manager states he would not have agreed to sign the defender for the season had the Anfield club demanded such a clause.
Flanagan finds himself in a frustrating situation, behind first-choice full-backs Matthew Lowton and Stephen Ward, who Dyche says he’s happy with, in the pecking order.
The Reds loanee could face having to make do with grabbing valuable match minutes with the Clarets’ Under-23 side, having already featured for the development team this season.
However, Flanagan will hope to impress enough in training to force his way into contention upon the Premier League restart, when Burnley make the trip to Southampton.
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