"They were looking for giants" – 6 ft 5 defender on slipping through Burnley net for being too small

Today at 07:07 AM

Union SG defender Ross Sykes has spoken to the Belgian media about his time in the Burnley youth system and being rejected by the Championship club.

The 25-year-old is currently playing in the Jupiler League after getting a move to Union SG from Accrington Stanley in 2022.

Speaking to Gazet van Antwerpen, Sykes was asked whether he was offloaded by Burnley for being too small.

The 6 ft 5 defender said Burnley were looking for bigger players during his time with them and it's become something of a joke among his current teammate's that he was rejected for being too small… given how big he is now.

However, he went on to say Accrington Stanley showed faith in him after he was rejected by Burnley and that they were confident he would grow to the ideal size.

"Indeed, nobody believes me. Also, at Union in the dressing room they collectively laughed when I started talking about it. But it is true. I was only about 11 years old then and actually just pretty normal in terms of height. At least that’s what I think.

“Apparently they were looking for a few giants. So I went to Accrington Stanley FC, where they were confident that I still had a growth spurt to do," said the former Burnley youth player.

Sykes spent two years in the Burnley academy, but left in 2012 to join the Accrington Stanley youth set up. He would go on to make 131 appearances for first team.

His performances for the Lancashire club earned him a move to the Belgian top flight and he's gone on to play 76 games for Union SG, scoring an impressive ten goals.

Sykes has built himself a great career… even if he missed out on making it with home town club Burnley.

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