Dyche backs strikers to compensate for Ings loss

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Sean Dyche says that Burnley have enough quality up front to cope without Danny Ings.

Sean Dyche believes that Burnley’s current striking options can compensate for the loss of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes.

Ings, widely considered Burnley’s greatest attacking threat, has been ruled out for up a month with a hamstring injury, which he picked up in the Claret’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

He joins Vokes on the sidelines, who is a lengthy absentee after knee surgery, but Dyche believes that Burnley still have enough goal threat to pose a problem for top-level sides.

Burnley’s Championship success was built upon the potency of the ‘Vings’ front-two, who combined to score 47 goals last season, and their injuries come at a bad time for the club.

Dyche’s men are still looking for the first win in the Premier League following their promotion and, given they have one of the smallest squads in the division, injury problems to key players are something they can ill-afford.

However, Dyche has backed the rest of the strike force at the club to step-up to the plate and take their chance in the first-team.

“They are a little trio [Marvin Sordell, Ashley Barnes and Lukas Jutkiewicz] of strikers who want to do well,” the Daily Star quote Dyche as saying.

“Big Jukes has done well but like any striker he wants to nick a goal.

“They are all hungry to grab their chance in the Premier League and who wouldn’t? There’s never a question of morale. That’s always good.”

Jutkiewicz has regularly been utilised with Ings up front for the opening of the season, but he is yet to hit to the target.

The summer signing from Bolton is expected to retain his place, though, and it will be a question of who to pick out of Sordell and Barnes to partner the Polish target-man.

Neither have had top-level experience before and will be thrown in at the deep-end for the side if they are added to the team.

Burnley take on Sunderland at the weekend and there will be an expectation on the side to get a result.

Although the Lancashire outfit go into must games in the top flight as underdogs, there is a realisation that games like the one on Saturday have to be won if they are to maintain their Premier League status and they will need their new-look strike-force to be firing on all cylinders if they are to collect the three points.