Burnley have been dealt two further blows ahead of this weekend’s crunch clash with Watford, though they are expected to welcome back two players.
Josh Cullen and Jaydon Banel were hoped to be available for the trip to Vicarage Road this weekend, but the duo have suffered setbacks in their return to fitness.
However, there is better news regarding Dastan Satpayev and Oliver Sonne as the Clarets look to turn their season around.
For Cullen, this has been a wretched period in his career. He has been a strong performer for Burnley at Championship level, missing only five league games across the club’s last two campaigns at this level. However, at the end of 2025, an ACL injury suffered at Everton ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign and the early stages of the 26/27 season.
A three-week international break appeared to be the perfect time for the Republic of Ireland international to make his comeback. However, as his boss Nicky Hayen explains, that now isn’t the case.
“Unfortunately Josh had a setback a few days ago, so it will be between seven and 10 days before he comes back.
“He was actually quite good in the training sessions, did very well and then had a little knock, unfortunately for us. But also for him, because he was really close to the team.”
Meanwhile, Banel is another Clarets player yet to feature this term. He picked up an injury in training during pre-season, though the reasoning for his absence remains unclear. Hayen revealed it will be another week before he features, ruling the forward out of clashes against Watford and Charlton Athletic.
Better News For Burnley
While the international break hasn’t proved to be the blessing that Cullen thought it would be, Satpayev has benefitted from the lengthy run without club football. He made way against Middlesbrough at the start of September with a hamstring injury that saw him miss the Lancashire outfit’s four remaining fixtures that month. The Chelsea loanee has been back training, and his under-fire head coach revealed he will now be available for selection.
The same applies to Sonne, who returned early from international duty with Peru. However, that appears to be nothing more than a precaution due to a slight issue, with Hayen confirming he had been back in full training yesterday. Having signed in December 2024, the 25-year-old had barely featured for the club until this campaign. His eight appearances this term are only seven fewer than his first 18 months at the Clarets, which did include half a season on loan at Sparta Prague earlier this year.
Burnley remain the only winless club in the Championship and currently prop up the division with four draws and four defeats. They are without a league win since February, and last tasted victory at Turf Moor on 18th October 2025. The Clarets will be hoping to avoid going a whole year without a home victory, with two opportunities to end that sequence against Charlton and Wolverhampton Wanderers next week.
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