"Don't think anyone is better" - Burnley FC told they have key weapon beyond Marcus Edwards in promotion race | OneFootball

Manuel Benson could have a massive impact for the Clarets between now and the end of the season

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Manuel Benson marked his return to action in typical style last Friday night, as he fired in a trademark eye-catching strike to round off the scoring in a 4-0 Burnley victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Turf Moor.

The Belgian had been out of action since the final day of August due to injury, but is set to be fit and firing for the final stretch of the campaign with his side’s chances of automatic promotion hanging in the balance.

There is every hope from the Lancashire outfit that the tricky wide man can recreate the sort of form that helped the club get promoted to the top flight under Vincent Kompany in the 22/23 campaign, and his return to action has proven he still has the quality in his boots to make moments of magic happen.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Burnley fan pundit Will Lancaster about his side’s prospects with Benson back in the fold, and whether he will be given a chance in the Premier League should Scott Parker get his side over the line this season.

Manuel Benson marks return to action with strike against Sheffield Wednesday

It seemed like an age since we last saw Benson find back of the net with a rasping drive from the edge of the penalty area, but Friday’s showing was just like the good old days for everyone of a claret and blue persuasion.

With 11 goals in 33 league appearances the last time he played in the second tier, the dynamic dribbler played a huge part in Burnley’s success as they claimed the Championship title a little under two years ago, with his slaloming runs and precise finishing the scourge of many a second tier defender.

Even when he seemed to be at the peak of his powers, the playmaker only started 14 league games, with the majority of his contributions coming off the bench, and that is a role he will likely be filling once again in the weeks to come, as he builds up his fitness after so long on the sidelines.

With Burnley faced with well-publicised issues in front of goal of late, the return of a fan favourite has left Lancaster optimistic about the remainder of the campaign, and the Belgian’s experience of the previous title success could potentially being the difference as things hot up at the top of the division.

When asked about the returning star, the Burnley fan said: “We all know what Manuel Benson can do, as we saw in that Vincent Kompany where he unleashed one into the top corner for four games in a row. That (on Friday) was on his weaker foot, which is even more of a collectors’ item.

“But if there was going to be anyone coming in the team who had been out for a while who was going to drag us over the line in an attacking sense - with eleven 0-0 draws - just struggling to have that added bit of quality in the final third, you wouldn’t back anyone more than Benson to come up with the goods.

“It is going to be hard for him with Marcus Edwards being on the wing, he is probably not going to get that many starts, but Benson wasn’t that much of a starter last time, with Nathan Tella and Anass Zaroury who took the primary starting roles under Vincent Kompany.

“If you are after game-winners in the Championship, I don’t think there is anyone better than Benson really.

“The goal the other night was just an added one onto the rout, but in such a tricky spell of the season - when other clubs like Leeds infamously tend to go through rocky patches - and there might not be that level of know-how to get out of the division, Benson has done that before, and recently as well.

“There is certainly an element of him being like a new signing, and if you can start Marcus Edwards for 60 minutes and bring Benson on for the last 30, whoever is playing left-back will have a torrid time.”

Burnley urged to trust Manuel Benson is Premier League promotion is obtained

Despite playing a major part in getting Burnley promoted two seasons ago, Benson then went on to become a bit-part player in the season to follow, as Kompany gave him just a single start in the top flight all season.

With just eight outings from start to finish, the Belgian would have been relishing the opportunity to show what he can do once again after his side returned to the EFL, before injury cruelly intervened.

If the wide man can play his part in earning a return to the coveted top division in the run-in, Lancaster believes he should be given his opportunity to prove what he can do against the country’s finest talents, having missed out on the opportunity last time around.

He continued: “I think he should be given a fair chance in the Premier League as well, he wasn’t afforded that by Vincent Kompany and that was such a weird one.

“If we do go up, then we have got Edwards who is signing on an obligation if Burnley are promoted, and that is two really good wing options that you have got there.

“He is a fan favourite as well, you can see that by the celebrations the other night, how much it meant to him, the fans and his teammates; Lucas Pires was holding his shirt up like Messi at the Bernabeu.

“I think he deserves that, especially if he fires us up in the last 12 matches of the season this time around, he will certainly be a cult hero.”