Real hard work starts now for new Burnley boss Nicky Hayen

The real hard work starts today as Burnley continue their pre-season preparations in earnest back at Gawthorpe.

Having returned from their US tour on Friday, the Clarets will be put through their paces by new boss Nicky Hayen, who had limited time to work with his new players on the training pitch Stateside.

First-team coach and former interim boss Mike Jackson took the first two friendlies, while Hayen was only in the dugout for the third and final game against Real Salt Lake.

With no friendly until Sunday, July 26, when Burnley travel to Amsterdam to face Ajax, Hayen now has some priceless time on the training ground to get across his ideas.

“We can have proper training sessions,” Burnley’s head coach told the club’s social media channels.

“We can work on the tactics, we can work on the techniques on the physical part, also on the mental part, so it will be long days. But within 14 days it will be totally different.

“This was a good tour for us. The players enjoyed it. No, we're not happy with the results and with the way how we played, but this is for the upcoming weeks.”

Hayen was talking after the Clarets had fallen to a 4-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake in what was a disappointing end to their US tour.

The Championship newcomers also played out a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew and a 3-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati.

“It was a good opposition,” Hayen added. “Of course, about the result, but also the way they want to try to play football with an offensive style of play.

“For us, it was actually like a good test. On the other hand, they are fit. Next week their league restarts again, while we are just in our second week of the pre-season. We still have four weeks left, so it's normal.

“Last season it was a little similar to the year before also, so we don't worry at all. What was the most important was that everyone gets his minutes.

“We don't have injuries and of course you want to perform better and you want to see more quality on the ball and you want to have a solid team that works for each other.

“But I think also with the travel, with the time difference, you feel a certain fatigue that they are a little bit tired, so we have to see through the result, through the performances.

“But like I said, no excuses for Monday. We restart and then we only want to go up.”