Swedish international Hjalmar Ekdal insists that he's on his "own journey" as Burnley close in on a Premier League return

But the Swedish international insists that he's on his own journey in England having switched from Djugaardens at the start of the calendar year.

The 24-year-old has hit the ground running since his move to Turf Moor and he feels as though he's in the perfect place to continue his development.

"We're at the top of the Championship, which is a really good league, and I get to play most of the games," said the centre back. "For my personal development it's really good to be here playing.

"Hopefully, if we get promoted, it will be even tougher next year, but with how we learn and train every day I couldn't be in a better place. I'm going to be a better player.

"I'm on my own journey. Before I came here I didn't think about other Swedish players, I just thought that Burnley would be a very exciting option, especially with Vincent Kompany and the team doing so well. It's good to be in a team with harmony and that is winning games. I think it's easier to play your game and become a better footballer."

Ekdal has contributed to five clean sheets in seven appearances for the Clarets so far, including the one against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road at the weekend.

He's already partnered Jordan Beyer, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Charlie Taylor at the heart of defence since joining the club, which might have proved challenging when trying to find his own feet.

However, the centre-half hasn't had any issues. He said: "Everyone is good so it isn't a challenge to play with anyone. Myself and [Jordan] Beyer have been pretty good lately, so I like playing with him.

"He's a brilliant defender, we bounce off each other really well with the quality we have. We match each other really well.

"It [the time] has gone really quickly, much quicker than I'd expected, so I'm really satisfied with that. I'm six weeks in at the moment."

Finally, Ekdal has credited the man responsible for bringing him to the club, Vincent Kompany, for the role he's played, and continues to play, in his growth as a player.

Speaking about the Manchester City legend, who made almost 500 appearances for club and country, he concluded: "It's been exciting. He's talking to me about things I hadn't even heard before I came here. His view of football is so different, it's much more than I've looked at before, so you learn stuff that you didn't think about before.

"That's a really good thing and every talk you have with him you get better. I couldn't be at a better place with that in mind. He'll criticise me at every training session."