'Leap forward': Vincent Kompany explains Burnley's strategy of buying young & exciting talent

The Clarets focused heavily on bringing in young players with huge potential to improve this summer. Of the 15 players that arrived, only two were aged over 25 – while the average age was 23.

Among them are the likes of Luca Koleosho (18), James Trafford (20) and Zeki Amdouni (22), who have already featured heavily for the first-team this season.

Discussing Burnley’s recruitment strategy ahead of their return to the Premier League, Kompany says it’s about striking the right balance.

“It’s still a mix. If you look through the entire squad we have a mix,” he said.

“In the end we try and look at the best available talent in the market. Age is a component but it’s not something we put first.

“A lot of those talents would have been inaccessible for us not so long ago, so to have them here and among us is important for us.

“We can either struggle for the next 10 years or we can use this season to maybe struggle for one season but then make a leap forward soon after.

“This is the kind of squad we have, one that can progress for a number of years. It’s one year where it’s not going to be different than any of the teams that have just come up, but whatever way we shaped the squad it would have been the same.

“The first year is always a difficult year, but looking past this year and looking at a cycle of three years, this team has got some real, real potential and that’s exciting.”

Kompany added: “It’s one exciting thing about our squad. I’m not saying in year one we’re going to be bursting the net every week, but you’re going to have to be tough defensively as well. But I do feel in the future there is potential in our squad to have a real goal threat.

“How long it will take, I don’t know. But there are some guys who are always dangerous when they are on the pitch.”