"I knew Josh was a Burnley player" - Brownhill's agent Phil Ercolano on newest Clarets recruit

"Legs, Hearts, Minds" is, famously, one of the messages that adorn the Clarets' training ground, and Burnley-born FA-registered intermediary Phil Ercolano feels January signing Josh Brownhill fits the club's ethos perfectly.

Ercolano, who runs Cassius Sports, who look after Brownhill, grew up in the town, where he attended St Theodore's RC High School.

He knows all about the town and club's work ethic and mentality, and believes Brownhill is a typical Sean Dyche player.

Burnley have monitored the Warrington-born midfielder since he was a youngster with Preston North End - scoring a superb free kick winner in pre-season against the Clarets at Deepdale in 2014.

And Ercolano explained how the move came about: "When Josh was at Preston, they nearly took him, they tried to get him when he was a youth player, but he slipped through the net at that point.

"They've always tracked him. Martin Hodge has done a great job of always staying in communication, and subsequent to that, Mike Rigg, so right through from him being a 17-year-old they tracked him really.

"He scored the free kick against Burnley in pre-season - he was only 17, 18 then.

"What the plan was from then, so many players get it wrong where they think they've made it then.

"The Dwight McNeils are rare, to get a chance in the Premier League and take it and stay in it.

"Josh has 250 games, youngest captain in the Championship, he's been to Wembley four times, won there three times - he's only 23.

"As I say to all my lads, it's like boxing, you've got to get rounds under your belt before you can go in with the heavyweights.

"And Josh has done that."

Brownhill went to Barnsley on loan, before joining Bristol City from Preston in 2016, and Ercolano added: "When you do your scouting, because he was under 23 at the time, and he's playing every single game, getting goals and assists and he's on set plays, he's got a long throw, and he's humble, he's going to be on everyone's radar.

"If you look at the way I manage talent, in terms of fitting the values and knowing the town, being that lad as a 15-year-old who used to go on the Longside and scream and shout, I knew Josh was a Burnley player.

"His values, last Tuesday he went out and did 20k, and every day he's killing himself on a bike and sending me videos.

"He'd never have a beer, he eats right, he lives right.

"For the last six years, he's returned from his summer holidays and comes to the Lakes before the teams start coming to us (at Cassius Camps), and puts himself through hell for four days before he goes back to pre-season so he's fitter than everyone else.

"It takes some commitment that.

"When you're running up a hill with a log on your back, and no-one is watching, you've got to be committed.

"In terms of fitting the values of Burnley Football Club, you couldn't have a more committed, more aligned lad, that will just get on with it.

"He's low maintenance, high output, which is what Sean wants really."

Ercolano hails from Burnley, but was based in London when he heard about Brownhill, making the trip back up north to watch him in action with Preston: "I had a friend, Andrew Simpson, who was in the RAF who worked with Josh's brother Lewis, he said 'I've got a lad, will you look at him'.

"I got up early in the morning in London, I'm normally at Arsenal, Tottenham Chelsea, and I got a 6 a.m. train to Preston, to get in a cab to go to the training ground, and the game was called off!

"I went back up a couple of weeks later, watched the game, met his dad and his family. It's very important when I work with clients that they're not busy, not high-maintenance...they could be from Burnley really, dad works his backside off, he's an honest guy.

"Nick Harrison (now Preston Academy Manager) is a good mate of mine, ex-teammate at Burnley, and I asked some character references, and Dean Ramsdale that released me at Burnley, was the academy manager, he said I should take Josh."

Brownhill isn't the only Claret who has put himself through the gruelling Cassius Camps in the Lake District - Dwight McNeil is also familiar with the character-building experience.

Ercolano said: "When I left London, I relocated to the Lake District, and part of the business I run, non-profit, is a business called Cassius Camps, which is bringing young talent to the Lakes and running almost an SAS-type programme.

"Michael Duff brought the Under 18s to me three years ago, and Dwight McNeil was on the programme.

"My first dealings with Burnley were at that point, where we were asked to work with the mindsets of the Under 18s.

"The courses are with myself and Adam Smith, who's an ex-New Zealand All Blacks strength and conditioning coach - so you talk about levels, Adam's not taking any prisoners.

"And we bring in different people, last year we link the journey, for one day we did about 80k on the bike, and brought in Joe Thompson, who'd just overcome cancer, and it was a good leveller. That group needed to be reminded not to take their foot off the gas.

"It's particularly fitting when Burnley came up, we used different sets of guest speakers, a lot of the players would say it was life-changing for them.

"You're preparing the boys. We dump Dwight in the middle of a lake and he has to swim in open water for half a mile...

"You've got to overcome your fears and get on with it - it's character building.

"His determination was clear to see.

"These boys learn through experiential learning, they don't learn through classrooms, they want to be outside and challenging each other.”