Brady leaves the Clarets
Burnley have confirmed that Robbie Brady will leave the club at the end of his contract next month after four and a half years at Turf Moor.
He signed on the last day of January 2017 during a 1-0 home win against Leicester and able to take a seat in the directors box for the second half alongside Ashley Westwood who had also signed that day.
Both made their debuts as substitutes in the next game at Watford but it was in the first of the next season when we saw Brady at his best in the team that climbed as high as fourth in the Premier League. Sadly, an injury at the start of December at Leicester meant we’ve seen precious little of him since other than earlier this season when he did have a productive run in the side.
With today’s news, he said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I’ve loved every minute and I’m really going to miss the lads. They have been a massive part of my career and I’ve made friends who I will hold onto for a long, long time. In that respect everything has been great.
“Unfortunately, I picked up a quite significant injury when I felt like I was almost reaching the peak of my game in that season where we finished in the European spots. We’d had a really good spell and picked up a lot of points but then I picked up the injury and that was me for almost a year. I found it difficult with the magnitude of the injury getting back. It was a long road and a hard road for me, personally, but I managed to get there.”
He’s struggled since that injury and added: “It’s been a little bit stop start. I would have loved if things had gone better at times, because I always backed myself to do well and help the lads out wherever I can. It was difficult in that respect but it’s been brilliant and a big learning curve for me.
“I feel in a good place physically and mentally and I’m ready for a new challenge ahead now. I just want to thank the lads and thank everyone for giving me this opportunity. I learned a hell of a lot over the last few years and a lot about myself.
“I also want to thank the fans for making me feel so welcome. It’s such a family club and they get right behind the lads as we’ve seen over the last few seasons. It’s been a phenomenal time and I’m so happy to say that I feel I have played a part in Burnley’s history, which I’ll always look back fondly on.
“I have had a lot of good times, and a few bad times personally, but these things happen and I wish the lads all the best. I’m sure they’re going to kick on again like we have done over the last number of years. I’m sad to go but it’s a part of my career I look back on fondly, along with the people I’ve met.”
Sean Dyche said of him: “Robbie has been incredibly unfortunate with injuries. In his strongest spell for us, when he was really flying and helped us qualify for Europe, he got a really serious injury. He came back from that and one or two other injuries to play his part in a strong time for the club.
“When he has played, he has been a credit to himself and a good servant to us as a club and we wish him well in the future.”
It was inevitable, I think, that this news would follow the end of the season. It has been so frustrating watching him trying to get back to full fitness and in this season he’s twice been substituted having come on as a substitute earlier in the game.
I’ll choose to remember Robbie Brady for those performances in the first half of the 2017/18 season.
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