Millwall boss Neil Harris has revealed that on-loan striker Josh Coburn could be in line for a return against promotion-chasing Burnley this Sunday, as reported by Southwark News.
Coburn is currently on loan at The Den from Middlesbrough but has been out since September with a calf injury picked up in the defeat to Luton Town.
Who Is Josh Coburn?
Coburn is a 21-year-old striker who began his footballing career in the youth set-up at Sunderland before joining Boro in 2018. From there, he progressed through the ranks at The Riverside Stadium, making his first-team debut in a 2-1 away win at Rotherham United United in 2021.
The Bedale-born striker only had to wait another three days before opening his senior goalscoring account for the club. He scored the crucial second goal in a 3-1 defeat of Sheffield Wednesday just moments after coming onto the field.
Coburn had something of a breakthrough season in 2021-22 as he made 18 Championship appearances for Teesside club, but only three came from the start.
The following season saw the striker head to League One outfit Bristol Rovers on a loan move that would see him play 40 times across all competitions and find the net on 10 occasions.
He would again find himself on the bench back at Boro in the 2023-24 campaign but did manage five goals for Michael Carrick’s men. A temporary switch to join up with the Lions was designed to give Coburn more Championship experience but he has so far only managed two league outings for his new club.
Neil Harris Ahead Of Burnley
Millwall manager Neil Harris has given an update on his side’s latest injury issues ahead of the visit of high-flying Burnley this Sunday. Regarding Coburn, the news was beginning to sound positive.
“Josh Coburn’s trained for the last seven days now, so he’s heading back to fitness. There’ll be a thought process to involvement this weekend.”
“We’re certainly not looking for him to start, but involvement for him from the bench, possibly.”
Writer’s View
Millwall have made a solid start to the campaign but their strikers have found goals hard to come by, with Coburn, Langstaff, Bradshaw and Ivanovic having one each to their name.
Coburn’s return will give Harris an extra forward option, one that he hopes will make a telling contribution to the goal-shy Lions.
