Burnley FC: Scott Parker has unique position of power to challenge January need | OneFootball

Some of Scott Parker's returning stars could be better options than anyone he could sign in January

For a Burnley side pushing at the top end of the Championship table, the January transfer window seemingly offers the perfect chance to bolster their squad ahead of the run-in.

But for Scott Parker's side, things are actually a little different, as a treatment room full of talented players means that what they could bring in over January may not be as good as what they may soon have at their disposal.

Only Parker himself knows the full extent of Burnley's injury situation and when he'll have some of his key men available again, but if they're to come back well before the end of the season, then it may be wise to stick with what he's got.

It's no secret that the club aren't particularly flush with cash despite a raft of summer sales, hence why most of their summer recruitment was done on a loan to buy business, so any January incomings could well follow a similar pattern.

That's not a particularly attractive prospect for any selling clubs in January, who then need to replace their own players, so recruiting in the coming weeks could even be difficult for the Clarets.

Burnley's returning stars are better than anything they could sign in January

There are at least four injured or unfit players for Burnley who, when fit, would be pushing to be regular starters - Manuel Benson, Aaron Ramsey, Jordan Beyer and Lyle Foster.

The latter of those stars is now back from injury but is still some way off being match-fit despite returning to the matchday squad over the festive period, but his return is timely as it takes the burden off an out-of-position Zian Flemming.

Final third struggles have been the underlying issue of Burnley's season, and is expected to be something they try to address in January, but in Benson and Ramsey, they have two players who could ease that burden.

Getting them fit is the main issue, particularly with Benson, who is renowned for picking up injuries, but bringing players in to replace them unnecessarily could create a huge issue in the summer if Burnley are left with an inflated squad.

They face a slightly different issue with Beyer, who although likely won't feature much, if at all, this season, Burnley know they're stacked in the defensive department, but that's not the case in other areas.

Manuel Benson and Aaron Ramsey could unlock Burnley's attacking potential

Burnley fans haven't seen very much of Ramsey in a Claret shirt, but there's no doubting that he proved in his spell at Middlesbrough that he can have a huge impact at Championship level.

He largely operated from the left under Michael Carrick that season, and with Parker adapting his system to accommodate Hannibal on the wing, someone like Ramsey now seems a perfect fit.

Ramsey returned to training in September, but his return trail has gone a little cold since as he hasn't featured for either the first team or the U21's, but if Burnley can get him fit, he is likely better than anyone else they could sign.

The same goes for Benson, who has proved at this level that he can both score and create - something Burnley have desperately lacked at times this campaign.

Getting the pair of them fit and on the pitch would be like a pair of new signings, so if it's possible that Parker could have both at his disposal in the not-too-distant future, then focusing on getting them fit rather than adding new faces would seem a smarter move.