Burnley boss Sean Dyche on the youngsters involved with the first team after Project Restart

Sean Dyche was impressed with how the Under 23s adapted to being involved with the first team after Project Restart.
Max ThompsonMax Thompson
Max Thompson

And he believes their time training and travelling with the seniors will have done them no harm whatsoever.

While Max Thompson was the only young talent to get onto the pitch in Burnley's last nine Premier League games, coming on as a late substitute in the first game back at Manchester Citt with the Clarets 5-0 down, Dyche had to call on a number of youngsters to bolster his bench, after the departures of Jeff Hendrick, Aaron Lennon, Joe Hart and Adam Legzdins at the end of their contracts.

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Youth team player of the year Thompson was joined by goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Lukas Jensen, as well as centre backs Jimmy Dunne and Bobby Thomas, midfielders Mace Goodridge and Josh Benson, left back Anthony Glennon and striker Joel Mumbongo as the Clarets completed their fixtures in 10th place in the Premier League, having suffered only two defeats in their last 16 outings.

While Dwight McNeil has shown that there is a pathway to the first team if you are good, enough, Dyche believes this stint will enhance this young group's understanding of what it is all about.

Asked whether they will have learned a great deal, Dyche said: "You’d hope so.

"I like how they’ve gone about their training, the older lads have been fantastic in welcoming them into the group, with that clear-mindedness that they are part of the group for this return from lockdown period, and I think they’ve done very well.

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“The adaptation of working with the first team daily rubs off on them eventually, I think you’ve seen a rise of understanding of first team world, and I’ve seen that through training."

And Dyche explained why only Thompson got minutes: “The idea of getting them on the pitch is just a simple challenge, this club wants every penny it can get, so we had to finish as high as we can.

"That doesn’t mean they’re not capable, it’s just harder if you’re blooding youngsters and trying to win a game, particularly when you have so many injuries.

"But all of these different experiences and challenges you hope do that will (kick them on), the biggest one is working with the first team group every day.

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"The demand of the first team group goes higher, the quality should do, so therefore it naturally rubs off on them, and some run with that quicker than others, some find it a bit of a challenge at first, then adapt, some get involved and adapt naturally like Dwight has done."