BURNLEY midfielder Dean Marney will not play again this season having torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, boss Sean Dyche has confirmed.

The 32-year-old, who has made 21 appearances for the Clarets this term, sustained the injury during the game against Arsenal last Sunday and will see a specialist on Thursday, with Dyche revealing that it will be a lengthy absence.

Marney had previously suffered the same injury, to the same knee, during Burnley's last Premier League campaign in February 2015 when he was kept out for nine months.

Dyche said: "He's seeing a specialist today but unfortunately he has done his cruciate, his right ACL, which is the one he did before so it's obviously a long period of rehab needed for that one.

"He's come through that once before. In a good-bad way he knows the script, he knows what his rehab is, how long it is etc etc. It's a blow for him and it's a blow for us because he'd be playing and doing very well.

"You don't want to lose any player, he's been an important part, not just this season but what we've achieved here over a number of seasons.

"Obviously with his experience and his general experience in the game, you don't want to lose any player but certainly not at the experienced end of the market.

"He's disappointed, obviously. It's one of those things, it's the unfortunate side of being a player. Sometimes these things happen.

"He's a tough-minded man, he knows he's got the full support of everything here.

"The only good thing is he has been through this before so he understands the rehab, and how long it takes and the different markers along the journey back."