Ashley Barnes was the "highlight of many pre-match opposition meetings" during boss Vincent Kompany's days as Manchester City captain

And the 36-year-old Burnley boss knows exactly what the seasoned striker has got in his locker.

The Manchester City legend had many a tussle with the talismanic goal-getter in the top flight.

The pair met on four occasions over a five-year spell as the Clarets enjoyed a six-season stretch at the highest level.

George Boyd scored the only goal of the game at Turf Moor in their first head-to-head in March 2015.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson cancelled out Danilo's opener when their paths crossed a second time in East Lancashire just over five years ago.

A 5-0 drubbing at the Etihad was dished out the following season before their final interaction as opponents was won by Sergio Aguero in April, 2019.

Kompany said: "I've played against Barnesy for many years in my career, he's always been the highlight of many pre-match opposition meetings. That's the quality that he has, he's a really good player.

"We knew his game; he was clever, a focal point. At the time he was in charge of trying to get them set-pieces and get them up the pitch.

"You know he can hold the ball up when he wants to, when there's a moment he feels he can have a bit of a wobble to win a set-piece in a good position he did that extremely well.

"When you have his mentality that always gives you a chance. He's a Premier League player in a Championship team and he's been good for us."

Barnes, 33, was the derby hero in November as his double downed rivals Blackburn Rovers just before the break for the World Cup.

He has now scored in successive games as the league leaders collected four points from challenging tests against Luton Town and Millwall.

"It's always the cherry on the cake when he gets a goal because he does everything else so well," said Kompany. "There's his work-rate, his presence, and he does it in a moment when it's needed for us. It was the cherry on the cake but, unfortunately, we couldn't bring home the three points.

"We had to be a little bit patient at the beginning of the season, I think it's fair to say that Jay Rodriguez was extremely good, but he kept himself in the game and we've been able to benefit from his experience and his performances. It's been a luxury for us this season."

Barnes, the club's longest-serving member of the squad at present, might be out of contract in the summer, but he could be playing his way to a new deal if his revival continues.

The ex-Brighton man, who is one short of his 50-goal milestone for Burnley in the league, has reinvented himself as a 'false 9' for the table-toppers, but Kompany also believes that the experienced pro sets a perfect example for the younger players within the group.

Barnes, who was moving in non-league circles with Salisbury FC and Eastbourne 15 years ago, has seen it all since making his Football League debut for Plymouth Argyle against Derby County at Home Park in February 2009.

Kompany concluded: “What I hope it does is it teaches the other players that this is about the fabric of the club and that they understand they will be able to do it. "I think we select the profiles of the players we get, they maybe come through the door as outstanding technical players, but at the end, the heart and the grit of a guy likes Barnsey, that’s what I hope transpires to the rest of the team."