The Story So Far: Finley Burns

An in-depth look into our new summer recruit, Finley Burns…

Born in Southwark, London, the defender took his first steps into football at a young age with Southend United in 2012.

At 13 years old, the defender was playing for Southend’s Under-16 side, catching the interest of plenty of top Premier League sides, including Manchester City. He joined the Citizens for a record fee for a player of that age in January 2017, signing initially for a reported £175,000 fee plus add-ons.

Despite his young age, Burns was first named in a Man City Under-18 squad in a 1-0 win over Derby County in April 2018, where he was an unused substitute.

The 2018/19 season saw Burns make his first appearances at Under-18 level, replacing Taylor-Harwood Bellis in the 59th minute in a 3-3 home draw against West Bromwich Albion in December 2018.

Three months later saw his second City Under-18 appearance, playing nine minutes as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Everton, before making his first start in the same month against Middlesbrough.

The 2019/20 campaign saw Burns make a breakthrough at the City academy. Winning 13 games in 15 played for the Under-18s in all competitions, which saw the club win the U18 Premier League title, Burns also featured twice for their then-named Under-23 side. His first action came in the group stages of the EFL Trophy in a 3-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers before featuring in Premier League 2 against Chelsea a month later. He also was an unused substitute in three UEFA Youth League group fixtures for the Under-19 side.

Signing his first professional contract in July 2020 with City, Burns played only three times for the Under-18s, who would win another Under-18 Premier League title, because the defender would be a main figure in the Under-23s’ own title win, featuring 16 times, along with a further two appearances in wins against Mansfield Town and Scunthorpe United in the EFL Trophy.

The 2021/22 season saw Burns take his first steps into senior football. Featuring 22 times for various academy sides for City, he made his senior debut in September 2021, playing the full match in a 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup second round.

In January 2022, the now-21-year-old sealed his first career loan move as he went to Swansea City. Fourteen days after signing, and three unused substitute appearances later, Burns made his Swans’ debut when playing 75 minutes in a 3-1 home win over Bristol City.

Playing the full game against Sheffield United the fixture after, Burns’ third and final appearance for Swansea City came in a goalless draw at home to Birmingham City in March.

Upon his return to City, he featured regularly for the academy teams at the Citizens. Featuring a total of 26 times across the Elite Development Sides, which included two assists in the Premier League 2 in wins over Leicester City and West Ham United, Burns won his third U21 Premier League 2 title.

Last season saw Burns take a great stride into the men’s game. In August 2023, the defender joined League One side Stevenage on loan for the duration of the season. Four days after joining, Burns kept a clean sheet on debut in a 1-0 win away at Northampton Town.

A month into the loan, Burns transitioned further forward into a defensive midfielder. The move saw a return of three assists, which all came in separate victories over Northampton, Wigan Athletic and Cambridge United. Making 43 appearances in all competitions, the defender won the club’s Young Player of the Year award.

Internationally, Burns has featured for England at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-20 level. All five of his caps at Under-15 level came in friendly wins, with his first coming in a 3-1 win over Netherlands Under-15s in December 2017 at the age of 14.

Featuring three times at Under-16 level, his third cap saw Burns captain the Young Lions in a narrow 2-1 defeat against Türkiye. Earning one cap for the Under-17s, which came in a 4-2 friendly win over Austria, his Under-20 debut came in a 3-0 win over Chile in September 2022. In the same month, he earned his other two caps in victories over Morocco and Australia.