Andros Townsend has already played for Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Everton, among others, and a move to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley was on the cards this summer.
The 32-year-old had been without a club since leaving the Toffees, a move that was no doubt impacted by the player’s ACL injury in March 2022.
According to BBC Sport, he had been on trial with the Clarets and had even played in friendlies against Benfica, Real Betis, and Genk.
Not only that, but the player had even reached an agreement with the club, which is currently joint bottom of the standings with no wins this season and only a point to their name.
Things were looking bright until Kompany pulled the plug on the agreement, which Townsend himself has put down to his enforced 18-month interruption.
What Andros Townsend Said
“The situation is I’ve not played a competitive match for 18 months so because of my age and lack of minutes English clubs can’t take that risk,” he was quoted as saying.
“I looked abroad and thought clubs would be desperate to sign a player of my experience but it was the same again, lack of minutes.
“The ACL is a very complex injury and when players get it in the latter stages of their career they sometimes never fully recover to their previous selves, so that’s the worry.”
This is football at its most brutal 💔 @Andros_Townsend tells the Monday Night Club about how he was reduced to tears when Burnley withdrew their contract offer this summer.#BBCFootball #MNC pic.twitter.com/sC9JrDS5k5
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) September 26, 2023
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It’s a decision that has clearly hurt the player, after he admitted via BBC Sport that the snub reduced him to tears.
“It was probably one of the toughest conversations I’ve had in my career,” Townsend added.
“If I was bad and knew I wasn’t going to get a contract I could prepare myself. But to be looking at houses, looking at schools, talking about squad numbers and then to be told the contract is no longer on offer, it rocked my world.”
At present, the player has still been unable to find himself a club, and if he’s unable to do so before too long, the likelihood is that his career at the highest level is over.
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