It was always expected that Leicester City would lose some players after they won the Premier League, but it’s amazing to see how differently things have worked out for two players who took the same path.
N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater both made the move to Chelsea, but that’s where the similarities ended. Kante has gone on to prove he’s one of the most likeable and best midfielders in the world, while Drinkwater has just faded into obscurity.
He made a loan switch to Burnley this season to try to revive his career, but it hasn’t worked out well for him so far. If you’re a footballer and fans are genuinely astonished when you actually play, then something has gone very wrong.
Drinkwater makes his first start for Burnley tonight, and this stat shows just how incredible that is:
Danny Drinkwater’s last Premier League start was 639 days ago away at Manchester City under Antonio Conte. It was a disasterous match. #CFC #MCFC #BURMCI
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) December 3, 2019
It will be interesting to see how his career develops from this point. He turns 30 next year, so there’s two ways this could go for him.
Firstly he might still have plenty of energy left in his legs after not playing much for so long, he should be fresh so if he takes his chance and plays well then he could find himself back in favour. It might be a push to say he will get another chance at Chelsea, but he could go on to be a decent Premier League player again.
Alternatively, the lack of action might result in him losing his ability and sharpness to play at high level. It’s possible that his peak has passed and he will fade into obscurity and have to drop a level to try and find his form again.
It certainly looks like an important phase of his career, let’s hope for his sake that he takes his chance tonight.