Vincent Kompany excited by Darko Churlinov’s potential

The 22-year-old North Macedonia international forward made his full debut for the Clarets at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday in the EFL Cup.

And he gave a glimpse of what is to come, showing intelligent movement in dragging two defenders out of position to enable Manuel Benson to go for goal, while quick feet created a yard of space to try his luck, with his effort cleared by the home defence.

Churlinov, signed from VfB Stuttgart last Friday, also worked hard against the ball.

He lined up off Ashley Barnes in a 4-2-3-1 system, but also popped up wider on either side, and Kompany said: “Number one, we try to look for players with intensity, because without that you get exposed.

“And number two, you want players who are going to feel comfortable in those situations, and there were a couple of moments he received the ball between the lines and he was driving at the line, works his way in and out, and so he will understand the other lads’ game, and they will understand his.

“I look towards the rate of improvement the team still has, and in our team that’s a very positive sign.”

Churlinov came off the bench at the weekend against Blackpool for his debut, with Kompany saying: "He's full of energy, you can see in the small spaces he looked comfortable, but it's not as easy to integrate new players, because as soon as you do, you lose a part of your press, your organisation, it's a steep learning curve.”