Vincent Kompany welcomes Michael Obafemi's Burnley return as injury problems subside heading into international break

The 23-year-old was handed his first minutes of the season on Saturday as a late substitute in Burnley’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.

It was the striker’s first appearance for Burnley since the 2-1 win against Bristol City in April of last season.

It’s been a long road back for Obafemi, who has been sidelined since being forced to go under the knife.

It comes after the forward suffered a serious hamstring injury while away on international duty for the Republic of Ireland back in June.

With fellow number nine Lyle Foster facing an extended period of time on the sidelines to receive treatment for his mental wellbeing, Obafemi’s return to fitness is a welcome one.

“That’s good,” Kompany said of Obafemi’s comeback.

“Obviously with Lyle not being here at the moment having Oba back, the timing couldn’t be better for us.”

Despite the result in North London on Saturday, there was further good news with Aaron Ramsey also making his return from injury.

The midfielder missed a month’s worth of action with a knock, with his last appearance coming in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at the start of October.

Elsewhere, Hjalmar Ekdal and Manuel Benson should come back into contention after the international break, while Arijanet Muric will also be back available after missing the Arsenal game due to being called up for Kosovo’s rearranged Euro 2024 qualifier against Israel.

It’s understood Mike Tresor missed the Arsenal game through illness.