Leeds United's Championship rivals sign international defender as imminent Elland Road appearance possible
Leeds United's next opponents Burnley have signed Republic of Ireland international and former Sheffield United defender John Egan on a free transfer.
Egan has signed a deal at Turf Moor until the end of the season after leaving Bramall Lane over the summer. The 31-year-old, vastly experienced centre-back spent six years with Sheffield United, three of which were in the Premier League.
Last season, however, Egan appeared just five times in the league as the Blades were relegated from the top flight, having missed just one Championship fixture during the two previous seasons.
Burnley were left without several first-team options as multiple players raced for the exits during the final weeks of the transfer window, leaving new boss Scott Parker with fewer options to work with than he would have liked.
“I don’t really understand the dynamics of the transfer window and how you leave it open three or four games into a season,” Parker said, as quoted by the Burnley Express.
“Pre-season takes place and you have six to eight weeks with a group of players and again, I’m not just referencing myself, I’m referencing every manager out there, you put in work, you do a lot of detailed work in terms of the team you want to be and within two or three weeks that can drastically change and that’s probably what’s happened here a little bit."
The ex-Fulham and Bournemouth manager has rectified his squad issues somewhat by adding Egan ahead of this weekend's trip to Elland Road.
The Irish international could be in contention to face Leeds despite being without a club for two months, and has been training with the Clarets for the past few weeks. In the long-term, he also bolsters Parker's defensive options with over 300 Football League appearances and 73 Premier League matches under his belt, in addition to the 36 international caps.
“The manager, staff and the players all want to be successful," Egan told Burnley's official website. "I want to come in and add to that. I want to bring my experience and my ability into the group to help drive the group on.
“I’ve been here a few weeks now; I’ve got to know the lads and really enjoyed working with them and the manager."