Preston North End will envy Burnley's unenviable Josh Brownhill situation | OneFootball

Midfield utility man Josh Brownhill leaves Burnley as a club legend - in another timeline, he could've created a similar legacy for Preston North End.

Burnley have received the news of the departure of their club captain, Josh Brownhill. The all-around midfielder has left Turf Moor after five and a half years and over 200 competitive appearances in claret and blue.

In his time at the club, Brownhill has twice endured relegation from the Premier League, and been a key part of two promotions back. He has undoubtedly been one of their best and most consistent players during a handful of yo-yo years for the club.

This impressive stint at Turf Moor – which will make him a coup for any team with Premier League promotion or survival on their minds now that he is a free agent – is not his first foray into senior football in Lancashire. He was a buy from Bristol City for Burnley, but it’s easy to forget that Brownhill was a Preston North End academy graduate.

Brownhill was tipped for big things at Preston, but was never given the baton over others

Brownhill said his Manchester United release as a youth player came “just before a scholarship”, as the Daily Express reported in 2017. He was subsequently snapped up by Preston’s academy and quickly made a name for himself as one to watch for the Lilywhites. He was given his first team debut in October 2013, aged 17.

Following his first senior goal in a 2-1 win against Gillingham, then-manager Simon Grayson said to BBC Radio Lancashire: "It was a dream debut for Josh and full credit to him because I thought he did really well in the game. He looked very composed with the ball, got into good areas in advanced areas and was in the right place at the right time. It's a debut he'll remember for a long time."

Most PNE fans at the time would’ve hoped that this was a sign of things to come for the club as they battled for promotion from League One. The 2013/14 campaign, during which Brownhill made 24 league appearances and scored three times, wouldn’t quite be the one to get them there, but the next season would be a different story.

In 2014/15, Preston were undoubtedly one of the three best teams in League One that were battling for two automatic promotion places. Brownhill, now 18, was now a regular squad member, but had been joined in that department by another young, hungry and promising midfielder in January 2014 – a certain Alan Browne.

Eventually, Preston would be promoted. They did it the long way, winning the play-offs after collapsing on the final day against Colchester United and allowing MK Dons to steal second, but they did it all the same. And both Brownhill and Browne saw plenty of action during the season – the former made 18 league appearances in that campaign, with the latter managing 22.

Browne getting more game time than Brownhill was a pattern that would continue into North End’s first season in the Championship, still under Grayson. In 2015/16, the Englishman only saw the field in the league on three occasions by January, whereas his Irish counterpart had managed 19 league appearances by the same stage.

Due to his lack of minutes, he joined Barnsley on loan halfway through the season. He began to truly find his feet at Oakwell, starting 21 times, scoring twice, and becoming the centrepiece of a team that were headed for the Championship via the play-offs, just as Preston had been a year earlier.

Brownhill would be able to truly show his talents after leaving Deepdale

With his number of appearances falling season by season at Deepdale amidst stiff competition, and having shown he had plenty to offer a team who would give him a chance at Barnsley, Brownhill neglected to sign a new deal with Preston and departed on a free.

That would prove to be the right decision for him, as he went on to join Bristol City. In his first season at Ashton Gate, still just 20 years old, he started 19 league games and made 29 total appearances. Midway through the 2016/17 campaign, Grayson told the LEP that the player felt his departure from Preston “was the right opportunity for him”.

That turned out to be true, as Brownhill’s development as a player who could operate in any position across the middle of the park was coming on leaps and bounds, and the next season, he only missed one league game for the Robins. His evergreen presence in the Bristol City starting XI would stretch all the way through to January 2020, when Premier League Burnley came calling.

After 172 games and 31 goals for City, Brownhill was courted by a Burnley side that were comfortable in the Premier League at that time, and his services were secured for a reported £9m, per BBC Sport. In his first half-season as a Claret, he made 10 top division appearances, including being counted on for 90 minutes at the Etihad Stadium, as the club finished 10th in the table.

From there, the only way was up, and Brownhill became the engine room for Sean Dyche, Vincent Kompany and Scott Parker during their managerial terms. In 2022, he made the 300th league appearance of his career as Burnley, now back in the Championship, travelled across the county to square off with Preston.

In anticipation of his Deepdale return, LancsLive suggested that Grayson “didn’t see a future” for Brownhill at PNE, before speaking with the player himself. He said that he had “fond memories” of his old club, but reiterated how determined he was to help his new side come away with a victory.

They weren’t able to manage that win, drawing 1-1, but Burnley smashed their Lancashire rivals in the reverse fixture at home, winning 3-0 to boost their Championship title hopes. They eventually won the league that season, with Brownhill scoring seven and assisting eight to help them along.

What Brownhill has accomplished at Burnley will sting PNE, who will wonder what might’ve been

All in all, for Burnley, Brownhill played 211 competitive games and contributed to 55 goals. In his final season at the club, he was given the captain’s armband, and he featured 42 times in the Championship as Burnley roared to a 100-point second-placed finish, and promotion back to English football’s top table. 18 goals and six assists from midfield was a superb return.

Brownhill, as a free agent, will have a host of clubs after him. One team that you have to imagine would snap your arm off for his services are his old employers, Preston.

Since Brownhill left the club, they have mostly made do in the midfield areas. For the longest time, Daniel Johnson and former skipper Browne were immovable from the PNE starting lineup, but since the former moved to Stoke City in 2023, and the latter to Sunderland the next summer, things haven’t quite been the same.

Had Brownhill been given the reigns to reach his potential at PNE, he would’ve made an excellent successor to club legend Paul Gallagher – a player who is comfortable in any role in the midfield, who doesn’t always grab the headlines, but the team are missing something special without his presence.

And Burnley will be that team missing his presence now, following what the Burnley Express called “a classy farewell statement”. Wherever he goes next, they will value his impact on the team, and Preston will envy that they didn’t give him the chance to make such an impact for them.

Even getting half of what Burnley have had from their academy graduate in terms of goals, leadership and, of course, Premier League promotions, would've had the PNE faithful in dreamland.