Burnley have confirmed that manager Scott Parker has left the club, with the departure described as “by mutual consent.” The decision followed last week’s defeat to Manchester City, a result that mathematically confirmed relegation and prompted discussions between Parker and Burnley’s hierarchy about his future.

“The Club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Scott for his professionalism, dedication and contribution,” a statement read. “He leaves with the respect and gratitude of everyone connected with Burnley Football Club.”

The club has appointed Mike Jackson as interim manager for the final four league fixtures of the season. Jackson previously took temporary charge at Turf Moor in April 2022 following Sean Dyche’s exit, overseeing an immediate run of 10 points from four games which earned him the Premier League manager of the month award.

There is recognition inside the club that Jackson would need an even more impressive sequence of results to be considered for the permanent position. It appears as though Steven Gerrard is leading that race.

Gerrard was thought to be “of interest” to Burnley’s owners before the decision to part ways with Parker was made. Now that his compatriot has been moved on, the Daily Mail claim that the retired England captain is the “favorite” for the vacant post.

The Liverpool midfielder-turned-manager last held a job in senior management 15 months ago with Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. His only previous experience of senior management in English soccer came during an 11-month spell at Aston Villa.

With relegation confirmed and four fixtures remaining, Burnley will spend the closing weeks of the 2025/26 season under interim leadership while the club evaluates long-term options. The outcome of those matches and the internal selection process will determine whether Jackson is considered for a full-time role or if the reported interest in Gerrard progresses.

Burnley are examining Scott Parker’s future with the club and Steven Gerrard has emerged as one of the names under consideration. The Clarets’ recent record highlights the gap between the divisions: Burnley shipped just 16 goals in 46 Championship games but conceded 17 in their first nine Premier League outings.

Parker’s record in the second tier remains strong. Despite his struggles in the top flight, he has won three promotions with three different clubs in six years, a track record that some argue makes him well suited to restore Burnley to the Premier League. Club owner Alan Pace is set to hold discussions with Parker over his future and, should a replacement be required, Gerrard’s name has been floated by The Guardian. Craig Bellamy is also mentioned as a potential candidate; he served as Vincent Kompany’s assistant while at Turf Moor, though it is unclear whether he would leave his current post. Gerrard, by contrast, is demonstrably unattached.

Bristol City have gone further in their interest, offering Gerrard a permanent role before the season has finished, according to The Independent. The Robins appointed Roy Hodgson on a short-term basis to oversee the final seven games; the 78-year-old has taken six points from his first half-dozen fixtures and moved Bristol City into mid-table ahead of the season-ender against Stoke City.

Former manager Gerhard Struber has spoken of a muddled infrastructure at the club. Bristol City are closing in on appointing James Ellis as sporting director; his immediate task may be persuading Gerrard to accept the brief before any extensive squad changes. As ex-Robins midfielder Gary Owers fretted earlier this season: “For City to progress it could be a total rebuild in the summer.”

Burnley present a different proposition. They will benefit from parachute payments and already have experienced Championship operators, leaving arguably less work to return to the top flight.

Gerrard’s managerial timeline is recent and public: Rangers (July 1, 2018–Nov. 10, 2021, 192 games), Aston Villa (Nov. 11, 2021–Oct. 20, 2022, 40 games) and Al Ettifaq (July 3, 2023–Jan. 30, 2025, 55 games). It has been 15 months since he left Al Ettifaq. He took nine months to move to the Kingdom after parting ways with Aston Villa in October 2022, which remains his last and only experience of Premier League (or English) management. Patience is no issue for the 45-year-old.

“There’s a part of me that still feels that there’s a bit of unfinished business in terms of wanting to go in and face another couple of exciting challenges,” Gerrard told Rio Ferdinand on his self-titled podcast earlier this season. “But I want a certain type of challenge.

“If in an ideal world they come available, I’ll jump at them. If they don’t, I won’t go back in. I want to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better.”

Erling Haaland’s fifth-minute finish proved decisive as Manchester City beat Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor to move to the top of the Premier League. City dominated territory and chances from the first whistle but rarely found the clinical edge to match their control.

City fired 13 shots in the first half and 28 in total, yet managed only nine on target and a single goal. The visitors could have been four up by the break but were wasteful in the final third, finishing with three big chances compared to Burnley’s two. Burnley were not without threat. They fashioned five meaningful opportunities down the left, frequently exploiting an overwhelmed and disconnected Matheus Nunes on the right. Donnarumma produced a solid performance to deny the hosts from turning the game, while Burnley goalkeeper Dúbravka made several key saves that kept the scoreline narrow.

The win added to the momentum from City’s 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the weekend and sets up a quick turnaround for the FA Cup semifinal against Southampton on Saturday. Despite the points, the manner of the victory highlighted two issues: finishing in the final third and occasional defensive vulnerability, particularly on the right in the first half.

Player ratings

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—7.8: Did everything he needed to do, despite facing more shots than he should have on Wednesday.
RB: Matheus Nunes—7.8: Burned twice on his side by Burnley within the first six minutes, giving the hosts two early opportunities on frame. Completely disconnected from Abdukodir Khusanov.
CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—8.1: Hard to blame him for Nunes’s shortcomings, but his side was the only source of respite for Burnley for a reason. Did have a key, sliding recovery on a dangerous breakaway in the 30th minute.
CB: Marc Guéhi—7.5: Did well to recover from the discombobulation of Nunes and Khusanov.
LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—7.4: Solid performance on the left side. Completely closed off that channel for Loum Tchaouna.
CM: Nico O’Reilly—7.2: Enjoyed a rare start, but was the key to building the attack and maintaining a steady, yet relentless tempo.
CM: Bernardo Silva—8.6: Brilliant connections with Doku all night long. Solid as always.
RM: Antoine Semenyo—6.8: Explosive and strategic with his runs off the ball. Key to getting them in the final third. Burned Quilindschy Hartman and Maxime Estève all night, often at the same time.
AM: Rayan Cherki—8.5: Pushed extremely high in attack, creating constant pressure in the final third in partnership with Haaland to overwhelm the center backs. Created four opportunities within the first 25 minutes. Simultaneously patient on the ball.
LM: Jérémy Doku—8.2: Responsible for the creation of Haaland’s early goal. Controlled a bouncing ball at the midline before sending the striker off to the races. Incredibly challenging for Burnley to track all over the final third.
ST: Erling Haaland—8.3: Had a brilliant run to go one-on-one with Dúbravka and chipped the ball to side netting for his 23rd league goal of the season. Stellar.

Subs: Savinho (65’ for Semenyo)—6.7; Nico González (65’ for Aït-Nouri)—7.0. Subs not used: James Trafford, John Stones, Nathan Aké, Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders, Omar Marmoush.

Key match stats: Possession 65% to 35%. Expected goals 3.15 to 0.57. Total shots 28 to 9. Shots on target 9 to 1. Big chances 3 to 2. Pass accuracy 90% to 79%. Fouls 12 to 10.