I think it's time for Flanagan to leave the club. Not out of disrespect to the lad but I genuinely think that it's what's best for him at this point. I also think what would be best for him is a move to a Championship club where he'd get regular game time and hopefully establish himself and kick on. He's 24 years old and has only made 46 league appearances in his entire career. 46. This is in an age where players are breaking into teams and establishing themselves at a much younger age. Renato Sanches, for example, is linked with a €40M move to Milan. If that move goes through then the lad would have played for Benfica, Bayern and Milan as well as a European Championship winning Portugal team all before the age of 20. It's sheer madness but that's the sort of pace football is moving at right now and I feel that football may leave Jon behind if he doesn't go out and play.
I struggle to see him establishing himself anywhere in the Premier League (maybe Huddersfield?) right now especially with him struggling to break into the Burnley team last season. A move to a Championship side on the right side of the table like Middlesbrough for example is exactly what he needs in my opinion.
The only season where he was anything resembling a regular was the 2013/14 season which was the year before the last World Cup and now we find ourselves in the year before the next World Cup. He has had absolutely rotten luck with injuries but I think that it's clear that he isn't going to play much if at all here. Currently I'd say that Clyne and TAA are definitely ahead of him on the right and Milner, Robertson and Moreno (if he stays) are ahead of him on the left. Unfortunately he isn't the sort of talent Sturridge is where we have to coddle him and hope that he can stay fit because there are few better than him we've just passed Jon by and I hope he goes out and plays before the rest of his career passes him by too. Football careers are (relatively) very short and the lad deserves to enjoy himself while it lasts instead of watching others play in my opinion.
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