SEAN Dyche has no reason to believe that the knee injury Hull City detected during Charlie Austin’s medical, forcing the dramatic collapse of his move, will prevent the striker from continuing his freescoring form.
The Burnley boss has admitted that in almost nine months in charge at Turf Moor he has never known the prolific striker suffer problems with his knees.
Indeed, during his four years as a professional footballer Austin has averaged almost 39 league and cup appearances per season.
The top scorer’s brief absences under Dyche’s watch last season were as a result of a hamstring injury and an emergency appendix operation mid and late season respectively.
Previously a series of shoulder dislocations, before and after his move from Swindon to Burnley, have been his biggest concern, but he has gone 18 months without a recurrence since his last comeback following surgery “He’s had no worries with his knee in my time certainly, and his games record suggests there’s no issue,” said Dyche.
“We know the lad and what he does, and I’ve never had a problem with his fitness other than a hamstring.
“It’s a strange one with his knee - we’ve all seen how many games he’s played over the last four years. You look at it and he keeps playing and scoring.
“But it (the move) hasn’t happened and it’s a strange one as his manager, being delighted your goalscorer is still in the building, and we’ll see how the dust settles.”
But Dyche was reluctant to publicly take issue with Hull’s findings, and equally cautious when asked of his opinion on Hull City manager Steve Bruce going into detail on live radio about the outcome of the medical.
“Everyone has their right to deal with things as they see fit, and Steve Bruce is certainly a wise, experienced man, and they have to say whatever they’re thinking - that’s their prerogative,” said the Burnley boss.
“All parties have to be happy in any deal, particularly when there’s big sums of money involved.
“Things have to be right, and we’d do the same if we were unsure, there has to be that balance.
“But it’s important people remember we’re not pushing him (Austin) out of the door, it’s more a case we knew people would be hovering around.”
Meanwhile, former Wigan midfielder David Jones has been included on Burnley’s pre-season trip to Cork, with a view to signing for the club as a free agent.
The Clarets squad arrived in the Emerald Isle yesterday morning for a five-day training camp, which ends with Monday night’s friendly with Cork City.
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