DYCHE FEARS THE WORST FOR BRADY
THE timing of Robbie Brady’s knee injury could not have come at a worse time for the player who has struggled at times to live up to his £13million price tag at Burnley. Only recently has Brady begun to deliver on the expectations which come with being the club’s record signing last January from Norwich. There was his sublime pass to tee up Chris Wood for an equaliser away to Spurs and, only last week, Brady chalked up a goal and an assist in the midweek win at Bournemouth. According to Sean Dyche, who persuaded the Burnley board to shell out a huge sum for the Dubliner, Brady ‘has been building with his performances.’ A confidence player and ‘a good character’, as described by Dyche, Brady was buzzing as he set about helping Burnley recover from the setback of conceding an early goal at Leicester on Saturday. But a slight loss of control put him off balance and he over-ran the ball as he challenged Leicester’s Harry Maguire. As soon as he hit the turf, Brady was clearly in pain, and it was some time before he was carted off the pitch with an oxygen mask clamped to his face and a brace on his left knee. It appears that Brady’s season could be seriously impacted by the level of knee damage after Dyche, the Burnley manager, observed that the injury ‘looks serious.’ Managers don’t tend to say that unless tipped off by their medical staff to expect grim tidings. A definitive word is expected on Brady today when the injury has had time to settle but knee problems are often the curse of footballers, especially if there is a cruciate ligament involved. If that is confirmed then Brady won’t play again this season, which could derail Burnley’s prospects of their highest Premier League finish. With his dead ball deliveries, eye for a pass, and a left-foot that is almost as lethal as that of Riyadh Mahrez who set up the match-winner on Saturday, Brady is vital to Burnley’s strategy. For all that Burnley are a team that doesn’t score many goals, they don’t have to as their defence is one of the most miserly in the Premier League — only the Manchester clubs have conceded fewer this season. From an Irish perspective, there is less need for immediate concern as the next competitive game is nine months away. Before that, there will be a friendly in March and an end of season tour, to either the United States or possibly Australia. If Brady is missing, it will give others a chance to shine but in the shortterm, it is in East Lancashire where his absence will be most felt.