Burnley's fresh faces will need time to transition to the demands of the Championship

The 'Benjamin Button' effect is certainly in full swing at Turf Moor.

An aging squad under Sean Dyche has suddenly become a youthful one following Vincent Kompany's appointment.

Ben Mee (32), Aaron Lennon (35), Phil Bardsley (37), Dale Stephens (33) and Erik Pieters (33) — with an average age of 34 — were moved on in the summer as the Belgian's arrival marked the dawn of a new era.

Kiwi Chris Wood's departure in January engineered the exodus as Nick Pope and James Tarkowski followed — one for a nominal fee, the other without — as they linked up with Newcastle United and Everton respectively.

England international Pope, a two-time Player of the Year recipient, ex-skipper Mee, defensive partner Tarkowski and Wood clocked up 466 Championship and 723 Premier League appearances between them.

The quartet were the beating heart of Burnley under Dyche, the main vertebrae that formed the spinal canal of the team, which enjoyed six successive campaigns in the top flight.

Those numbers, packed with knowledge and wisdom, are understandably hard to replace. Those players have been the cornerstone of the Clarets' success at the highest level for a considerable period of time.

Their successors bring vibrancy but, at the same time, some vulnerability, while the large turnover of personnel brings some volatility to the cohesion of the group.

Kompany has targeted a younger demographic since stepping into the fold — though he has retained the services of Jack Cork, Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes — but with youth comes inexperience and the Clarets will have to tread very carefully next season in the Championship.

Ex-Oxford United defender Luke McNally has amassed 30 appearances in League One, former Manchester City starlet CJ Egan-Riley has one Premier League outing to his name and Scott Twine has played 71 times in the third tier.

Samuel Bastien is preparing for his maiden term in England while Taylor Harwood-Bellis is the only signing that boasts Championship experience having made 41 appearances during spells with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.

A remodelled, reinvented Burnley might be fitter, fiercer, faster, stronger, and potentially more talented than their rivals, but they’re up against seasoned collectives, who have been there and done it plenty of times before.

And that's why the sale of star man Nathan Collins further underpins the seismic shift in the molecular structure of the first team squad.

Granted, the Republic of Ireland international is a mere novice in terms of appearances for the Clarets, but he's adept to the demands of the Championship, playing 39 times for the Potters over three seasons.

And he would have been a huge asset to the club, both on and off the pitch, as he continued his own development while being a linchpin for those around him to learn from.

Changes are afoot and, without a shadow of a doubt, were completely necessary, but it might be important to approach this transitional period with equal measures of excitement and realism.

England's second tier is unforgiving, just ask the clubs that have fallen from grace, and failed to return. As many as 19 clubs in the Championship have previously played at the highest level and that is why a war of attrition awaits this youthful side.