Ex-Burnley man outlines importance of keeping 'wonderful' Ashley Barnes

While he’s not expected to play much this season, Ashley Barnes will still prove to be an invaluable asset for Burnley.

That’s according to his former teammate Phil Bardsley, who believes the decision to hand the striker one more deal at Turf Moor will prove to be a wise one.

The 36-year-old looked to have to come to the end of his memorable time with Burnley when his contract expired at the end of last season, but he’s since been brought back for one final campaign before he turns to coaching.

It’s understood Barnes is unlikely to feature on the pitch too heavily this coming year, but that won’t stop him from having a big impact according to Bardsley.

“Ashley Barnes is just a wonderful character,” he told Casinolyze.

“In training he demanded the highest standards every day, he made sure we were all working so hard.

“For him to go into the next phase of his career and into coaching is great for the club. They’ve already got Jack Cork in there.

“I heard the new manager, Nicky Hayen, speaking and he comes across very well, I just think their recruitment over the last couple of years has not been particularly great, to be honest.

“It’s a big year for Burnley. I think a lot of the players are Championship level so it’ll suit them much more than the Premier League, and that’s not intended to be disrespectful, it’s just a fact.

“I’m just glad Barnes is staying in the game. It’s great to see him involved in football because he’s a true character.

“The things he used to do to my stuff and my car at training… I used to get a message in the treatment room after training and he’d move my car to the other side of the training ground.

“I had a blue tracksuit, brand new. It looked a bit like a Chelsea tracksuit but it was just blue. He somehow managed to get a Chelsea badge and iron it on to this brand new tracksuit.

“He’s somebody you need in the game. His barnet’s looking horrendous though, he’s going to need to look at that again!”