Burnley boss Vincent Kompany back in England after 'extra-curricular' trip to Belgium

The Manchester City legend flew out to his native Belgium earlier in the week to continue his education on a course in Brussels.The four-time Premier League winner had been working towards his UEFA Pro Licence while at Anderlecht, but his progression was cut short when the pandemic hit.Now, with the international window providing a break in the domestic schedule, now has proved as good a time as any for Kompany to get back to school.He said: "It's definitely not time off. I've got to get stuck into my coaching badges. It wasn't like I was sitting there and I didn't want to do them, because there was Covid so for two years my training was interrupted. I've still got a few more weeks to do and this is one of them. Just when you think you can have a bit of a rest, I've got to go back to school."It is part of the job you have to do. The world was unfortunate with the pandemic, it put a lot of peoples' lives on hold and it had effects as well on me so now I've got to catch up and I'm going there with an open mind. It's not going to be as intense, I can't imagine, as the first two months we've had in the Championship."Kompany, who became Sean Dyche's successor at Turf Moor in the summer, has been learning on the job, despite getting two campaigns under his belt in the Belgian Pro League.The PL Hall of Famer, who was the top flight's Player of the Season in 2011/12, even enjoyed a playing career that spanned 11 years in England. However, the Championship is a different beast, particularly after remodelling the Clarets' squad.Ten games in, with Burnley sitting fourth in the division with 17 points, Kompany said: "It doesn't take me going into a classroom to want to learn, it's always around."They pose you so many different challenges every single day; it's either your own players, the opposition you're going to face, it's a very good learning environment as it is."I've been in England for 11 years and I know people who have played in the lower leagues so you know what they're looking for and what the emphasis is. It's a league that I love; it's entertaining, it's no-nonsense, so I like that side of it."I don't mind that it's a big challenge, I really love it. Nothing is perfect, but there's real honesty to the league and I like that."It's the best place to learn because you've got so many games. By the time you've got one game done, you've got to review that and then prepare for the next."You don't really get a chance to sit down and have a coffee, you don't even get a chance to go home and high five the Mrs when you've won a game because it just goes that quickly."You build a thick skin in the game and I wanted that for my personal development, but also I wanted to be at this club."