Sean Dyche full of praise for Burnley debutant Josh Benson

Burnley debutant Josh Benson keeps tabs on Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley at Etihad Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Manchester, England.

The Clarets chief shared his appraisal with the Arsenal academy product immediately after Burnley's 5-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

And he wasn't short of superlatives in his assessment of Benson's performance when addressing the media post match.

After deputising for the injured Josh Brownhill, who suffered a back injury on Friday, Dyche said: "I thought Josh Benson was terrific.

"It was a very difficult game to come into anyway, it's very difficult when he's looking around him and finding his feet.

"I'm really pleased and I made him aware of that after the game, as did the players. He's learning, he's been a slow learner, we got him out of Arsenal, it's taken him time to keep working at his game, which he has done.

"I thought he was ably assisted in there by Westy, they gave it a real go today, but there are others who can do much better in my opinion. Those two really stuck at it against a really top side."

Benson, who ended a two-year scholarship with the Gunners to move to Turf Moor in the summer of 2018, acquitted himself incredibly well in quite difficult circumstances.

The home side went ahead within six minutes and dominated the game from that moment on. City finished with 69% possession, had 19 shots on goal and had two goals chalked off following VAR checks.

However, Benson continued to compete well against a midfield three that included Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan.

"He gave a really good account of himself in a really tough game," said Dyche.0 "He never went under, kept going physically and kept going with the ball when he could when we were able to get a foothold in the game.

"He secured the play in little passages and he should be really pleased with himself. I made sure he knew that after the game. He conducted himself really well.

"He looked ready in the build up to it, he didn't look edgy, he looked calm and I was impressed with that.

"It's not just on the pitch, you've got to know how these players operate and how they are in themselves.

"That's the platform that we want. You've got to have a taste of playing against these sides some time and it went well for him. It can't all be roses, though, and the result is a part of the learning process."