Burnley boss Vincent Kompany gives indication as to when defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis could return

The England Under 21 captain, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, has been out of action since hobbling off against AFC Bournemouth.

The Young Lions centre back was replaced by Luke McNally after just 27 minutes of the Emirates FA Cup third round tie at the Vitality Stadium after sustaining a foot injury.

The initial forecast suggested that the defender would be absent for around 6-8 weeks, and Kompany insinuated, given his progress, that the club's third summer signing could be back in time for the international break next month.

“Taylor is good, he’s fine," Kompany told the Burnley Express. "We’ve had a few freak injuries so there’s nobody you can blame for those, but we’re lucky he’s coming back good and in my opinion, he’s a player that, at his age, should use this time to come back stronger.

"That’s really the goal for him so he’s had a lot of football at a young age, which is great, but now he’s getting a bit of time to focus on his body and get it stronger and make sure he uses a little bit of that time to develop himself as well and that will be to his benefit when he comes back.

“The only thing I know from the feedback I get from my medical staff is he’s on schedule and he’s doing really well. In terms of a return to play, the international break, I think that’s not a bad moment to aim and see if we can have him back.”