Scott Parker refuses to be drawn on his Burnley future following relegation | OneFootball

Scott Parker refused to be drawn on his Burnley future after Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City confirmed their relegation, but said the Clarets would “regroup and be better”.

Erling Haaland’s fifth-minute goal was enough to send City to the top of the Premier League, while Burnley head straight back down to the Sky Bet Championship a year after amassing 100 points in the second tier.

It is a relegation that has long been coming for a team with only one win in their last 25 league games, having failed to build on a promising start to the season, and Parker has heard the anger and frustration of the Clarets fans for several weeks.

The 45-year-old said he was “sad and disappointed” in the moment yet “immensely proud” of his team, but would not confirm whether he intends to be in the dugout next season as they try to plot a return to the top flight.

“I think at this present moment in time I am hurting and I’m disappointed and I’m sad for the owners and I’m sad for the players, and that’s just where I am at his moment in time,” Parker said.

“Of course we will sit down as a group and we’ll sit down with everyone. I’ve got an incredible relationship with everyone in terms of the owners. We’ll sit down and we’ll work out what the best way is for us to go as a football club to keep us moving in the right direction and make us better.”

Parker reiterated that his main focus was on the long-term development of his squad, arguing that they were a better team for their experiences this season.

“My sole focus is on this young group and trying to develop these young men, to use my experience to make them better and I honestly believe we’ve done that,” he said.

“That’s my main focus and will continue to be. Of course we will reflect and work on what we have done wrong. Some of the things were out of our control and some are things we can do and we have fallen a little bit short. We will regroup and be better.”

Many had expected City to turnover this Burnley side by a healthy margin in their pursuit of the title, but it turned into a nervy battle despite Haaland’s early strike.

City had 28 attempts at goal but Burnley had moments of their own, the best of them falling to Zian Flemming.

“Overall, I’m immensely proud of the team,” Parker added. “The performance tonight was everything this group represents and have represented for large parts of the year.

“While results have not been what we wanted, I think you saw a group that was foot to the floor and left everything on the field.”

Burnley captain Kyle Walker, who joined from City in the summer, said in a post-match interview on Sky he intended to be at the club next season and help them push for promotion.

“I came here with a dream to keep this club up,” Walker said. “Hopefully we can make the fans proud next season.”