The remarkable reason Burnley star Zian Flemming had to relearn how to play football | OneFootball

There is a remarkable reason Burnley's Zian Flemming had to relearn how to play football before moving to the Championship via Millwall...

Zian Flemming has established himself as one of Burnley's most important attacking players since arriving from Millwall, initially joining the Clarets on loan before making the move permanent in 2025.

He immediately impressed in the Championship, scoring 14 goals and collecting four assists in 37 appearances in all competitions as Burnley secured promotion, before taking his game to another level in the Premier League.

Despite Burnley's relegation back to the second tier, Flemming finished 2025/26 with 11 Premier League goals and was comfortably the club's top league scorer. Having bagged in the EFL Cup last weekend, the Dutchman is already off to a flyer in 2026/27 with an added brace in the Clarets' two-goal comeback on the opening day against West Ham.

Burnley's Zian Flemming had to relearn how to use his body

Action Images

There is a remarkable story behind how Flemming developed into the player he is today. During adolescence, the Dutchman suffered from severe growing pains which kept him sidelined for around 18 months.

Per Ajax Showtime, during that period, he grew by roughly 20 centimetres, meaning that when he eventually returned to football, he had to effectively learn how to use his body again. It was an extraordinary physical transformation to experience as a young footballer before joining a league as physically demanding as the Championship via Millwall.

Flemming has spoken about the mental strength required to overcome those setbacks, having gone from being unable to play to rebuilding himself as a professional. His experience at Ajax was particularly important, with the difficulties he endured during his formative years ultimately becoming another part of the story behind his rise.

Rather than simply losing valuable development time, Flemming emerged from the experience with a different understanding of his physical capabilities. That makes his eventual progression into a prolific attacking midfielder initially, and a centre-forward more recently, even more impressive.

Zian Flemming consistently producing goals is more impressive knowing his backstory

Action Images

Flemming's record as either a goalscoring midfielder or as an out-and-out striker shows that the 11 Premier League goals for Burnley were not a complete outlier last season.

Flemming scored regularly at youth level for Ajax, with 24 goals and five assists in 72 games before hitting 13 during a loan spell at NEC, and 27 across two seasons with Fortuna Sittard.

He then moved to Millwall, producing before taking the next step with Burnley. Across his senior career, he is now closing in on 100 goals, underlining the consistency of his attacking output. That is all the more impressive considering what the forward had to contend with at a young age.

Burnley have a big decision to make on Zian Flemming's next career move

Action Images

The difficulty for Burnley is that Flemming's Premier League campaign has certainly created transfer interest. Nicky Hayen has admitted Flemming could leave Burnley before the end of the window.

Flemming could be an option for Leeds United, but nothing has materialised with the club so far. Burnley have already seen numerous high-profile exits occur and they will be desperate to retain their star attacking player, but Brentford have also registered interest in Flemming.

Having scored 11 times in a struggling side, he has demonstrated that his goalscoring can translate to the top flight, making the former Millwall ace an attractive option for clubs looking for an attacking player with Championship pedigree and proven Premier League output.

Burnley need to make a strong effort to retain him, particularly with an immediate return to the Premier League likely to be the objective. Flemming could be one of the division's outstanding attacking players if he remains at Turf Moor, and losing him would leave a sizeable hole in a squad already adjusting to relegation.

The problem is that the final weeks of the transfer window can change everything. A Premier League club willing to pay a significant fee could present Flemming with another opportunity to remain in the top flight, while Burnley may find it difficult to resist if the financial package is substantial enough.