Burnley handed Zeki Amdouni fitness boost

Burnley could soon be boosted by the return of Zeki Amdouni from injury, Fabio Celestini has revealed.

The forward is due back in team training on Wednesday, having been forced to sit out with an ankle injury since the Watford game in mid-October.

It had been estimated the 25-year-old would face four to six weeks on the sidelines, but it appears his recovery has gone well and he could soon be back in action.

“Wednesday he trains with the team,” Celestini confirmed, speaking this afternoon ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to QPR.

“He has a very good feeling. Today, maybe it’s the last time he trains alone and normally he comes back on Wednesday.

“That will be a boost, because he’s a very talented player and I know him well.”

His return could be especially timely, given the Clarets are light on numbers in the striker’s position, with Armando Broja and Dastan Satpayev also sidelined with groin and hamstring injuries respectively.

“We are working very closely with Chelsea to try and recover him,” Celestini said on Satpayev. “We are talking, so we'll see.

“We get Jaydon Banel and Aaron Ramsey back from injury, they came back during the last game, but with Armando, it’s day by day. We must see what happens, but it’s not so close to coming back. We don’t know exactly how many weeks.”

Celestini was also handed a major boost in his first game in charge against Portsmouth on Saturday with the long-awaited return of Josh Cullen.

The club captain received a big ovation from the Clarets faithful as he made his first appearance for the club in over 10 months, following his painstaking recovery from an ACL injury.

“You see in training, you have this natural leadership,” Celestini said.

“To talk to him, to transmit his energy, he can help us very much this season.

“The fans were happy, but I was happy too that he came back, because I think he's a very important player. Not just for transmitting energy, but because he has very good skills. He can help us.”

The new Clarets boss did, however, urge caution over the 31-year-old, who will have to be eased back into first-team action.

“Not all injuries are the same,” he added.

“He's not a 17-year-old player, he knows his body. But we are talking every time with him, with all the players and the staff here.

“For Josh it’s more important, because for 10 months he wasn’t playing. But now he comes back, he has a very big energy to try and help the team, but we must go slowly.”

The Clarets will remain without Ben Amos, Jordan Beyer, Bashir Humphreys, Shurandy Sambo, Hannibal, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Mike Tresor, Ashley Barnes and Michael Obafemi for tomorrow’s trip to Loftus Road, as Celestini eyes his first win.