Scott Parker drops disheartening Burnley FC update ahead of Stoke City | OneFootball

Scott Parker gave an update on how his Burnley squad is shaping up before their trip to Stoke

Scott Parker has claimed that he'll still be without several first-team players for their upcoming trip to Stoke City this weekend, although he is hopeful that Josh Brownhill could return.

Burnley travel to the Midlands looking for a fourth-successive Championship victory as their automatic promotion push continues to gather momentum, but in the absence of several first-teamers, their squad is looking rather thin.

Parker inherited a side that consisted of several stars with long-term injuries like Jordan Beyer and Aaron Ramsey, but it was hoped that some of their other stars with smaller injuries would've returned by now.

That hasn't really been the case for Parker, who has had to deal with a small injury crisis, but the size of the Clarets squad has been able to limit the impact felt.

But heading into a busy festive period of football, Parker's latest injury update will be a little disappointing to Clarets fans, as most of his stars aren't set for imminent returns.

Speaking before Saturday's visit to the bet365 Stadium, Parker delivered a verdict on some of his injured stars in his pre-game press conference.

Brownhill was the main topic of discussion after his surprise absence in Tuesday night's 2-0 win against Coventry, and although fans hoped to see him back this weekend, Parker was coy on whether his club captain would play or not.

He said: "He's on the grass today (Thursday) in a modified session.

"After the weekend's game Tuesday probably came a little bit early after he got a knock on Saturday, so we'll see where we are tomorrow (Friday) with Josh.

"In terms of making a call on him, he's progressed well, but he didn't fully train."

Two other big name absentees were spoken about by Parker, with Zian Flemming a surprise absentee last weekend, while Mike Tresor has been missing all season.

On that duo, Parker said: "Flemming is moving in the right direction. He's in a place where he's edging closer, but again, I don't know where we'll be regarding the weekend.

"Mikey is the same really, it's been a little stop-start over the last few weeks. We'll see where we are really regarding that every weekend."

Injuries haven't hampered Burnley too much this season

The Clarets have certainly had their fair share of injuries this season, with the likes of Tresor, Beyer, Ramsey, Hjalmar Ekdal and Nathan Redmond all yet to kick a ball this season.

The fact most of those players would walk into most Championship teams shows that Burnley have certainly been hit hard by injuries this season, but you wouldn't think it with a quick glance at the league table.

Parker's men are flying high near the summit and look to be getting better with each passing week after a mini wobble a matter of weeks ago.

Burnley were struggling to score goals and even create chances, with fans becoming critical of Parker's brand of football, but two positive performances since returning from the international break have eased building pressure on him.

Now bidding for four wins in a row for the first time this season at the weekend, if Burnley can once again prove they can cope without their absent stars at the weekend, they'll be viewed as an increasingly serious automatic promotion contender.