SEAN Dyche has ruled three players out of Burnley's return to Premier League action at Manchester City on Monday night.

Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are all out of the trip to the Etihad with the Clarets boss not wanting to put a timeframe on their return.

Barnes has had a setback in his recovery from a hernia problem that has seen him not feature since New Year's Day.

Gudmundsson's injury-wrecked season has continued with a calf problem picked up since the Clarets retuned to training.

Wood was expected to lead the line for the run-in but has picked up an Achilles problem leaving Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra as Dyche's available strikers.

“We’re down with Woody, we’re down with Barnesy, we’re down with Gudmundsson. They definitely won’t make this early period of these games," Dyche said.

“It’s a challenge we’ve been through before. No-one wants that situation, but it has occurred.”

With games coming thick and fast as the Premier League returns amid the coronavirus pandemic, Dyche is unsure how long he will be without the trio.

The Clarets boss said: "Barnesy is not out on the grass yet. He was due out during the lockdown, but it flared up again around his groin area.

“Johan is on the grass, but in the early stages, and so is Woody. It certainly won’t be a week for them, I’m certain of that.

“Johan’s calf has had a niggle on it again, so we have to be careful with it for obvious reasons.

“He was fine in the lockdown, but in the first week back just got a tiny tweak in it.

“Woody is a fresh injury. Unfortunately in lockdown, he had a bit of a calf situation.

"It wasn’t drastic, but unfortunately in training just got a bit of a strain on his calf. That’s not ideal either.

“Barnsey is trying to get over his hernia. He did well in the lockdown, but then it flared up again, so we have to be careful with them.”