Manuel Benson announced his return to the Burnley stage last Friday night, as he rounded off a superb Clarets’ showing with the sublime fourth goal of their 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
The brilliant Belgian was featuring in his first Championship match since the last day of August as the Owls came to town, and despite being introduced with just five minutes left on the clock, he still managed to make his mark in typical eye-catching fashion in the final stages at Turf Moor.
Having been out for close to , Scott Parker will have another attacking option at his disposal for the remainder of the season, which could seriously help them in their automatic promotion hopes as they continue to keep the pace with the top two.
Benson could once again make all the difference as Burnley aim to make the step up to the Premier League just as he did two years ago, when his penchant for the spectacular catapulted the Lancashire outfit into the top tier.
Manuel Benson gives Burnley reminder of his qualities after return from injury
Burnley’s lack of cutting edge in the final third has been well publicised this season, with Parker’s side drawing a blank in 13 of their 34 Championship outings this season, with an eye-scratching eleven 0-0 draws throughout the campaign.
While the Clarets have been breaking all sorts of records with due to their defensive efforts – with the shutout of Wednesday being their 12th consecutive clean sheet in the league – an inability to put the ball in the back of the net could well have cost them dear in the race for automatic promotion.
The reemergence of Benson could change all that though, with the wizardry of the wide man often proving to be a cut above the level when he has featured in the Championship in the past.
The ease in which the playmaker can glide past players on either flank is mesmerising, while he gave his fanbase a reminder of just how unerring he can be when given the opportunity to have a shot on goal with a ferocious effort on Friday night.
With Sheffield United and Leeds setting the pace at the top of the division, Burnley need to start turning their dominance in games into victories on a more regular basis, just as they did against Wednesday, and Benson could have the key to that success once he is fully up to speed for the remainder of the campaign.
The brilliance of Marcus Edwards has been apparent since the tricky customer joined on loan from Sporting CP in the winter, and with Benson as an alternative option from the bench, second tier defenders will be run ragged for 90 minutes when they come up against a side reinvigorated in the final third.
Having been part of the side that waltzed to the Championship title under Vincent Kompany in the 22/23 campaign, the Belgian is a player that knows exactly what it takes to get over the line in the hunt Premier League football, and that experience of producing moments of magic when the pressure is on could make all the difference between now and May.
Manuel Benson would love repeat of Burnley 22/23 campaign
With 11 goals in 33 league appearances the last time Burnley were in the second tier, Benson played a massive part in propelling his side to the Championship title two years ago, and would love to instigate a repeat of that feat this time around.
The fact that only 14 of those showings were from the first whistle only goes to make the attacker’s goal return even greater, with a goal every 135 minutes of league action proving just how unplayable he was in that 22/23 campaign.
Those at Turf Moor will still have the archetypal Benson goal engrained into their minds, as the dinky dynamo cut in from the right-hand side, leaving a handful of defenders in his wake, before unleashing a drive from the edge of the box that would so often be the reason his side claimed all three points as the season rolled on.
Reading, Rotherham, Middlesbrough… they all felt his wrath at the start of the season, before a run of four matches in as many games saw him finish the campaign in red-hot form, with the winner against Blackburn Rovers the icing on the cake as the season drew to a close.
While chances were limited in the Premier League last season, Benson now has the chance to recreate history in the next couple of months, and earn himself and his side the chance to dine at the top table once again, and all the evidence proves that he has what it takes to get them over the line.
He has always proven he doesn’t need long on the pitch to make a difference, and his recent showing has proven that trait hasn’t deserted him during his time on the sidelines. With everything to play for in the next 12 league matches, the Belgian could be the difference maker as the battle of the heavyweights continues to hot up.
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