Darko Churlinov could be on his way out of Championship leaders Burnley already with WAZ reporting that Bundesliga battlers Schalke are hoping to take the winger back to the Bundesliga.
The North Macedonia international could hardly have picked a worse time to suffer a serious injury. Because, by the time he returned to full fitness after the Qatar World Cup break, Churlinov found himself stuck with superglue behind Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury in Vincent Kompany’s pecking order.
Benson and Zaroury were outstanding in Churlinov’s three-month absence. Johan Berg Gudmundsson and Nathan Tella are also at Kompany’s disposal. As such, the £3 million summer signing may already be fighting for his future at Turf Moor.
Burnley, WAZ report, will see their determination to retain Churlinov tested over the coming months as Schalke express an interest.
Will Darko Churlinov leave Burnley and return to Schalke?
The Ruhr giants earned promotion to Germany’s top-flight with the former Stuttgart loanee back in 2021/22. They still hoping to see him return to the Veltins Arena. Despite a six-match unbeaten streak, Schalke remain the most profligate team in the entire Bundesliga; just 18 goals from 23 matches.
Kompany, meanwhile, has highlighted the highly ‘competitive’ nature of Burnley’s squad when discussing why Churlinov has found opportunities so hard to come by. Before being consigned to the sidelines once again due to a bout of illness, Churlinov had played just 124 minutes of Championship football.
“There’s a limited amount of spaces on the bench in the Championship in comparison to other leagues. It’s a little bit of a shame,” the Manchester City legend tells Lancs Live.
“But they can still all play a role.
“Across a squad, you always have a couple of players who are not going to have everything going their way. And I think with him (Churlinov), there’s a number of circumstances. There’s the injury which was one.
“After a run of bad luck, you’re due a run of good luck. And we hope that will come for him very soon.”
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