Scott Parker has given an update on Burnley defender Maxime Esteve ahead of the Premier League clash at Brighton on Saturday.
The Clarets have not won since October and are in desperate need of points if they wish to avoid being relegated straight back to the Championship.
They put in a spirited display against Newcastle United in their last game of 2025 but ultimately fell to a 3-1 defeat that has left them six points from safety.
One of Burnley’s key stars this season is Esteve, who has been a near ever-present in the team and also emerged as a popular choice for Fantasy Premier League players.
The centre-back missed two games over the Christmas period with injury but returned to the starting line-up for the Newcastle game, only to limp off after 14 minutes.
Speaking afterward, Parker simply said: ‘We felt that Maxi was alright and that wasn’t proven the case.’
On Friday, ahead of the Brighton clash, the manager confirmed that Esteve was back in training but would miss the trip to the Amex.
‘He won’t make the weekend, he has done work on the grass today,’ Parker said in the pre-match press conference.
‘It’s too much to risk and with such a short turn around, we don’t want to risk the early changes in the game. We are hoping for a speedy recovery, we will prepare now to get him in a good position.
‘We are where we are in terms of injuries, we are extremely stretched and we have hit a bad run in terms of injuries but nothing new.’
Including Esteve, Burnley have 10 players unavailable either through injury or through participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 23-year-old could yet return for the next match against Manchester United on Wednesday, January 7.
As for the Seagulls, Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed Yankuka Minteh is in contention to feature on Saturday.
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