Burnley handed injury scare as 24-year-old forced off on international duty | OneFootball

Burnley could be without Hjalmar Ekdal against Sunderland on Friday night after he was forced off for Sweden against Azerbaijan.

The centre-back joined the Clarets in January, and he has slotted in effortlessly, featuring in nine games for Vincent Kompany’s side as they charge towards the Championship title. And, it’s fair to say he has done well, with the team unbeaten in that period, and they’ve collected 21 points from the games the recent recruit has played in.

Whilst the league leaders have decent depth in that department, even with Taylor Harwood-Bellis out, they will still be disappointed to have seen Ekdal go off with an injury. The 24-year-old started for his country as they lost to Belgium on Friday night, and he kept his place in the XI for the qualifier on Monday evening.

However, the Swedish media have revealed that blows to the head and then the knee meant that Ekdal was withdrawn at half-time.

It remains to be seen just how serious the problem is, but it would immediately put the former Djurgaden man as a doubt for the game on Friday night against the Black Cats. If Ekdal is not available, Kompany would likely turn to Ameen Al Dakhil or Charlie Taylor for the visit of Tony Mowbray’s side.

Burnley are currently 16 points clear of third-placed Sheffield United, as they close in on a return to the top-flight, which could come in the coming weeks.

The verdict

This is why lots of supporters of clubs get so frustrated by the international break, as there always seems to be at least one player from your side that picks up an injury! It’s especially annoying at this stage of the campaign when there’s usually so much riding on games.

Having said that, you could argue it’s not really the case for Burnley, as they are coasting towards the title, which shows just how good they have been this season.

Ultimately though, it’s too soon to speculate on how bad any injury could be, but all connected to Burnley will hope it’s not serious, and it’s a shame for the player. He will have been gutted to come off in what was a very important game for his country, and he will be desperate to feature in the run-in as Kompany’s side clinch the title. So, hopefully there will be good news in the coming days.