Jon Walters has been told he can leave Burnley this summer if the right opportunity arises after a first season at the club in which he has barely featured.
The 34-year-old was sidelined for the bulk of the campaign by injuries, but returned late on only to be repeatedly overlooked by Sean Dyche.
Asked if he feels he is part of the manager’s plans for next year, he said: “Probably not, I don’t really think so. We had a chat at the end of the season and I think, if I wanted to move on, I don’t think that’s an issue club-wise. So I’ll take that I’m not but we’ll see what happens. I’ve got another year, I am not going to rush any decisions.”
It is not clear what options he would have after having struggled for game time since last summer but Walters says that he will weigh up what might be open to him and whether there might be the opportunity to continue playing in the Premier League.
“That is something I will have to decide over the next while,” he said. “If someone wants you in the Premier League, great, but if not, I will have no qualms about dropping. Playing games is what it is all about.
“It was all a bit odd coming back after being on rehab in January. I was quite isolated being on my own. I am not one to throw the toys out of the pram. I kept the head down and didn’t miss a day’s training. It was the beginning of April when I was available but apart from being on the bench for the Stoke game, there was not much else.
“Sometimes at Stoke, I wasn’t playing every week, but I knew I would play 15 or 20 games a year, and sometimes that is okay. But if I want to be involved in games over here [with Ireland] then I need to get that feeling back of being a footballer. It is tough to train all week and then not play.”
