It’s being reported today that former Burnley midfielder Dean Marney is now in training with manager Steve Bruce and our first-team group on a mini-trial basis as we take a look at him.
Marney is incredibly experienced as most 34-year-olds would be and he left Burnley over the summer as his existing deal expired. He was their second longest-serving player and had 96 appearances to his name in the Premier League from their years back in the top-flight now.
He was a go-to regular for Sean Dyche in his time at the club (eight years in total) but struggled to regain his position after a cruciate knee ligament injury in January 2017 and whilst he was out injured he slipped down the pecking order.
It’s said that Nottingham Forest are also interested in taking a closer look at him but it’s fair to say the source here is the Mirror and it features in their daily ticker, so make of that what you will.
At this stage though, it’s highly unlikely we are even in a position to sign a free agent.
Marney came through Tottenham Hotspur’s youth ranks and spent time out on loan with Swindon, QPR, Gillingham and Norwich as he continued his development. He made the switch to Hull City in 2006 and spent four years with them before moving to Turf Moor in the summer of 2010.
He’s seven games shy of 350 starting appearances across all competitions and he sits on the 400 appearance milestone when you factor in substitute showings.
From a quick search, few at Burnley have a bad word to say about him, his attitude and his desire to play so he could actually be a good professional addition. Aston Villa fans will instantly baulk at his age though and think ‘here we go again’.
If, as rumours suggest, we’re looking to offload Mile Jedinak now to help ease the wage bill, who much could we possibly gain by such a move in reality?
