Vincent Kompany always expected the 'individual brilliance' of Anass Zaroury to stand out in the Championship

Vincent Kompany was always confident that 22-year-old winger Anass Zaroury would transfer his 'individual brilliance' from the Belgian Pro League to the Championship.
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It hasn't taken long for the Mechelen-born summer signing to find his feet in the English second tier having made the switch from Charleroi at the start of the season.

The Belgium Under 21 international, who had netted against KAS Eupen and Waregem prior to his move, made cameos against Preston North End, Bristol City, Cardiff City and Stoke City before being awarded his first start.

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That came against Coventry City at the CBS Arena last month, where he had a challenging afternoon up against Fankaty Dabo, but he came to life against Swansea City at Turf Moor as he collected his first goal and assist in the 4-0 triumph.

Burnley's Anass Zaroury in action

Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport

The EFL Sky Bet Championship -  Burnley v Rotherham United - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 - Turf Moor - Burnley

World Copyright © 2022 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.comBurnley's Anass Zaroury in action

Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport

The EFL Sky Bet Championship -  Burnley v Rotherham United - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 - Turf Moor - Burnley

World Copyright © 2022 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.com
Burnley's Anass Zaroury in action Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport The EFL Sky Bet Championship - Burnley v Rotherham United - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 - Turf Moor - Burnley World Copyright © 2022 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - [email protected] - www.camerasport.com

And the former Lommel SK star hasn't looked back since. After Zaroury came off the bench to score twice against Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup, taking his tally to five in all competitions for the Clarets, boss Kompany said: "I didn't really doubt it because I can't think of a league outside England that is more compatible [than the Belgian Pro League]. You get kicked by full-backs, don't worry about that, and centre-backs leave their elbows in.

"The pitches are nowhere near as good as here so it's a tough league to survive in. You get a bit more space, perhaps, but that's only a natural progression. When you come here you're in a good place to perform."

He added: "That Sunderland goal, well done, but if we see three or four of those this season, we'll be lucky. The tap-ins he scores, that's what you make a career out of.

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"He's robust, he picks it up quickly, he does his job both ways, he defends really well, and going forward he's one of those players that can make something happen out of nothing.

"You need it because the teams we're playing against are compact and well-organised. You need that individual brilliance and he has plenty of it."