Burnley star once wanted by Leeds and Sunderland may have one eye on Turf Moor exit door: View | OneFootball

The winger has featured just once in the Championship this season after suffering with an injury that could see him out for months.

Burnley have had a decent return to the Championship, with Scott Parker's side already looking like an early contender for promotion back to the Premier League.

The former AFC Bournemouth and Fulham boss already has two promotions to his name in his relatively short managerial career, and while the Clarets' away form could still improve, they do look to be the real deal in the second tier once again.

They had a difficult summer transfer window as Parker looked to right some of the wrongs from recent years, having a much smaller turnover of players compared to what supporters have been used to since Alan Pace completed his takeover of the club in December 2020.

Nevertheless, one current member of the squad - Manuel Benson - might have been expecting a move away from Turf Moor in the summer after struggling for minutes in the Premier League last season, but he remains at the club.

The 27-year-old may have one eye on the January window and a potential exit after what has been a tough couple of years for the winger at Burnley.

Manuel Benson may be hoping for a move away from Burnley in the winter

In August, it was reported by Sacha Tavolieri that Benson was free to leave the Clarets before the closing of the transfer window, with Leeds United, Norwich City and Sunderland all registering interest in him - especially with Scott Parker confirming that the winger was one of the players that had expressed a desire to depart the Lancashire outfit.

Hull City had come close to acquiring his services in January 2024, but a move failed to materialise, and the Angolan international saw out the season with Burnley in the Premier League instead, making just eight appearances across the campaign under Vincent Kompany.

2024/25 has been another struggle for Benson, and a long-term injury has possibly meant that his final game for his club came in a 10-minute cameo against Blackburn Rovers at the end of August if he does not recover in time to make another.

It has been an extremely tough couple of years for the 27-year-old, who may have thought himself that his minutes in the team would have only increased following his side's promotion to the top flight in the 2022/23 campaign under Vincent Kompany.

However, the current Bayern Munich manager preferred the likes of Luca Koleosho, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Wilson Odobert to Benson, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson was the option that was used most from the bench.

Despite a change in manager and a return to a division that he has excelled in before, there is still no space for him in the starting 11, and leaving in January could be the only way to save his career currently.

Manuel Benson still has Championship-level qualities that another club could utilise

While it has been tough for Benson to prove himself since the start of last season, he showed his talents during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 11 times in 33 Championship appearances, while also picking up three assists.

His goals came from an xG rate of just 4.06, an example of just how clinical he can be on his day, while he also created 36 chances for his teammates from the right wing.

Minutes were still hard to come by for the 27-year-old, but what he was able to do in that relatively short amount of time was extremely impressive, and he was a key reason behind Burnley's title win.

On the ball, there are not many players better than Benson at taking the ball and running past defenders, and when he is on form he can be one of the best wingers in the Championship.

His lack of opportunities at Turf Moor has been extremely frustrating for not only himself, but also supporters, and if he gets himself the opportunity to display his talents away from Burnley after the January transfer window opens, then he could make some in Lancashire regret their decisions.