Perhaps the biggest surprise about Burnley’s goalless draw at Derby on Tuesday night was that it was, in fact, a surprise.
Hark back a few months and the Clarets had become synonymous with the stalemate. They have 12 of them this season.
But the last one before their trip to Pride Park came back in mid-February. The arrival of Marcus Edwards had made them seem almost a thing of the past.
Despite only one goal and one assist himself so far, his presence has turned the Clarets into a far more potent attacking threat.
In his six previous consecutive starts, Burnley scored 16 times. That accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the goals they’ve plundered all season.
It was a shock to say the least when he joined on loan in January. He had been excellent at Sporting for several years and was playing in the Champions League as recently as November.
However, after finding himself out of favour after injuries and the departure of Ruben Amorim, he ended up at Turf Moor in search of first-team football.
He has helped turn Burnley from a side that looked as though they may end up playing third fiddle in the promotion race, to putting them in real contention of an immediate return to the Premier League.
Sherwood on Edwards: I’m surprised Amorim didn’t go for him at Man Utd
Tim Sherwood was part of the Tottenham coaching staff when Edwards came through the academy at the club. He admits he was always surprised Spurs let him go.
“I remember seeing this boy with a big load of hair, this little left foot and great balance,” Sherwood tells Sky Sports. “I had to just go down and speak to the academy managers, asking: ‘Who is this kid?’
“They told me it was Marcus Edwards and he’d been at Spurs since he was about six years old. I took a big interest in him. Whenever they were in, I used to make sure I never missed watching.
“I was shocked when he left the club. I felt he needed a little bit more time because he was small. But perhaps he ran out of patience and wanted to go and further his own career.
“He went to Portugal and it worked out really well for him. Now he’s back at Burnley and it was a huge coup for them in the Championship.
“Scott [Parker] used to come and watch a lot of sessions and did some himself when I was at Spurs. He would have seen Marcus then and would have seen the talent that was there. He’s obviously got a very good memory!
“He enjoyed his time at Sporting under Ruben Amorim. Man Utd have got some worse players than Marcus Edwards at the minute, let me tell you that.
“I’m a little bit surprised that, considering the money we’re talking about, that Ruben didn’t have a little bit of a gamble on him.
“Perhaps they had players in the squad they didn’t want to block the pathway of. But he knows the boy inside-out.
“I think he’s a very special talent. It helps when you’ve got a left foot and you’re cultured, with that centre of gravity, balance and how he changes direction. He’s got that little burst of speed off the mark. He is so pleasing on the eye.”
Fan view: Edwards has helped us shake ‘boring Burnley’ tag
Jacob Horsfall – Burnley fan YouTube channel
“This season Burnley have often been branded with the ‘boring Burnley’ tag. But since Edwards arrived the football has become far more entertaining and the overall attacking product is so much better.
“The team has gone from struggling to turn draws into wins, to being able to find a way to get three points on a much more regular basis.
“Before he arrived teams were able to sit deeper, double up on Jaidon Anthony and stop CJ Egan-Rley from playing his long switches into wide areas.
“But with Edwards now on the other flank, we’ve now got more than one way to break down a defence. His ability to drift inside, attack space and drag defenders over will then give Anthony space on the other side in one-vs-ones and create gaps for our other midfielders.
“He may not be directly involved in every goal but his presence alone creates opportunities for his team-mates.”