Manuel Benson, who joined Burnley prior to their 2022–2023 Championship-winning season, was instrumental in the Lancashire team’s promotion.
But a difficult Premier League season put an end to all of his momentum.
Benson, who joined from Royal Antwerp, made an immediate impact on Vincent Kompany’s Clarets squad, playing in 25 of the first 28 games of the campaign.
He would miss two months of play between January and March 2023 due to an ankle injury, but he would then return to the team and score in each of his final four games to help them win the league.
In 2022–2023, Burnley had a number of possibilities. Benson was competing for the right-wing position against Nathan Tella and Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson. But Benson was able to start in 14 of his 33 games because of Tella’s versatility as a flanker, which allowed him to routinely clear space.
Benson’s career had taken off, but after being promoted, everything went south on the field as he battled for playing time.
Burnley’s Manuel Benson was unable to have any effect in the Premier League.
The Angola international scored 14 goals in all competitions during his debut season in England, although he was unable to score or provide an assist in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old found it challenging to secure a starting spot in the squad due to a number of signings; Lyle Foster, Vitinho, and Gudmundsson, among others, were preferred on the right flank over a player who had so many significant moments the season before.
Manager Kompany hinted that he might have gone on deadline day in February after he was left off the Burnley squad 17 times in the league the previous season. He said, “There was a little bit of rumours of him going away on loan and of course it’s normal that he wants to play.”
“We’ll see how it resolves itself tomorrow. Things resume as usual if he is present with us.
Benson played just four more games off the bench over the remainder of the season at Turf Moor, though.
He didn’t impress when he was finally added to the squad. Just 40% of his dribbling attempts were effective, and he only found his goal twice when he crossed the ball. This was a long cry from his performance during the Championship, as he led the field in crosses made correctly for his position (19).
As he enters his third year with Burnley, their once-exciting prospect is gradually running out of time.
Despite having secured his future until 2027 by signing a contract extension last summer, he could finally depart Turf Moor after nearly signing loan deals to play for Hull City, Leeds United, and Southampton last season.
However, with Kompany’s departure from the team, the 2024–2025 season might be just what he needs to turn his career around.
Although Burnley has not yet named a new manager, Igor Tudor, a former manager of Lazio, has been connected to the position, and his aptitude as a coach might be the ideal option to fire Benson once more.
The former Genk man might perhaps be able to rekindle his career in a more challenging post. Despite being signed as a winger, he only provided three assists during his first Championship run, hindering his ability to set up teammates.
Instead of forcing the striker out wide, playing behind him could allow him to receive the ball from a deeper position and rush at the center-backs. Burnley is anticipated to contend for the crown once more, thus they will need his uniqueness to force more opportunities against their opponents. He was able to create 36 chances in 2022–2023.
Burnley will also need to guarantee Benson more minutes to recover his form, and with Gudmundsson departing the club following the end of his contract, this may just be the chance for the attacker to make his way back into the first team.
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