Vincent Kompany discusses Josh Cullen's importance to Burnley following impressive return to starting XI

The midfielder enjoyed a successful return to Burnley’s starting XI prior to the international break, starting three games on the spin.

Prior to that, the 27-year-old had to get used to sitting on the bench as Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge was the midfield pairing of choice.

While Kompany has rightly praised Cullen for his performances since returning to the fold, he also believes the Republic of Ireland international will continue to be a key member of the Burnley setup regardless of team selection.

“We all read books about all these high achievers, right? We’re all good saying this, if not practising it ourselves and saying it to our kids,” Kompany said.

“But you’ve got guys who really live by it. In tough times, you work hard and you work harder. You support for the team.

“In good times, you stay level-headed. Stay focused. You do your job, turn up every single day and work hard. There are guys who live by it and he is one of them.

“You will probably always have people at the start saying ‘well, maybe there are players who could do that better or this better’, but in the end he just keeps improving because he has the mindset.

“He always finds a way to be of value to the team, whether he plays or not and obviously you need these type of players in your squad.”