Jamie Vardy fitness warning issued ahead of potential Burnley debut at Swansea City

Burnley fans shouldn’t expect to see Jamie Vardy thrown straight into the starting line-up at Swansea City.

That’s the warning from Clarets boss Nicky Hayen, who believes 20 minutes off the bench might be the best we get in South Wales on Saturday.

It comes after the 39-year-old was unable to make his Burnley debut at Wrexham in midweek, having had a one-match suspension carried over from Serie A.

But while he’s now available to wear Burnley colours for the first time, the striker isn’t match ready for a full 90.

“Let's say that he can play like 20 minutes maybe, so this is the situation,” Hayen said.

“It’s the same with someone like Igor [Julio]. He didn’t play for two years, so I was happy that he could play 60 to 70 minutes [against Wrexham].

“Jamie will be 20 because he didn't almost have a pre-season. He runs a lot, but it's not the same as playing games or even in friendly games.

“So we're building a team, we're creating a team and I'm the last one who asks for patience, because I really dislike it, I want to give the fans every week a victory.

“But you see where the struggles are at the moment, and we try to change it as quickly as possible, but we have to survive until the international break.”

But when Vardy is finally up to speed, Hayen is confident the former England international will bring a lot to his team.

“First of all, he brings goals, that's why we brought him in,” he added.

“What is really important is he's an experienced player, but also an intelligent player, and the way how we play, we create spaces.

“The goal [against Wrexham], how we scored with Zeki [Amdouni], I think even with Jamie, he has so many intelligent runs and he doesn't need a lot of chances before he scores goals. That's about his career and this will be an add-on for our team.

“But also our offensive players can learn a lot from him and also he's a voice in the dressing room. He has a lot of experience, he can guide these kinds of players, so it's really a positive signing for us.

“With the support of me, I had a really good conversation with him. For us he’s an important striker, because Zian Flemming of course left, and with his experience and his goals, even if he's 39 he gave a really hungry impression, and that's actually what we need. So he's thrilled to play for us and we hope we can use him already on Saturday.

“But the way how he plays, like I said, I think you saw it in the first half, a lot of dynamic rotations, and this is actually when we need a striker who makes the deep runs at the right moment.”

When asked how Burnley were able to persuade to sign the Premier League winner ahead of the competition, Hayen concluded: “He had really the feeling that he would be involved into the team, really into the team, get a lot of chances.

“I think with other teams he was more like a sub, maybe playing five to 10 minutes, or even as a third or fourth striker.

“Here, he really had the feeling that he will be involved in the team and be a really important player. Not only as a football player, but also, like I said, to guide the young players and make them better.”