If he's carrying a long term injury which has affected his performances then it makes things tough. It makes signing him a gamble. I'd like to see him stay because of his history with the club and the fact that he's a good leader off the pitch but it would have to be on a whatever's-left-in-the-cap-and-we'll-help-you-rehab sort of deal.
I think there is very little room for sentimentality here based on one good season a while ago. If you have some context to show that Burns is a good leader off the pitch then that would be helpful, but if he continues not playing then good leadership is simply not enough. We will have Durante hopefully playing on, and easing into precisely that role now (unless he makes good on his statement that he might even play a year across the ditch). And speaking of playing across the ditch, I would agree to see Burns as contributing in other ways to our development work with new / young // squad members, but ultimately he is likely to return home to Australia sooner or later while someone like Dura may well come back here after his playing days are over.
Dura on the bench or in the back office is fine. We have to find someone better as CB, when the team was shark, he was not pulling his weight as well, which in theory should not happen as one of the leader in the team. This said, it was good season for him overall, but I guess it is time to call it.
