'Whichever names gets us there': Burnley boss Vincent Kompany delivers message to Manuel Benson after January speculation

That’s the message from manager Vincent Kompany, who wants the winger to be part of the collective final push to stave off relegation.

It comes after the 26-year-old, who was one of the stars of last season’s Championship title triumph, was regularly linked with a move away from Turf Moor during the January transfer window.

However a move never materialised and Benson, who was once again left out of Burnley’s squad for the draw against Fulham, must find a way to fight his way back into Kompany’s first-team plans.

“Like everyone else, my message is not just to him but to the entire team, I’m only focused on the team now,” Kompany said.

“With everyone I’ve tried to have the individual approach because I think it’s the right thing to do in terms of making sure everyone has a chance to have clarity about their future, so that’s done. We’ve done that during the transfer window.

“The transfer window is done and now we only focus on the team. We’re at the stage of the season where we literally want only one thing, which is just winning football matches.

“Whichever name gets us there, I’ll be just as happy.”

Benson scored 13 times last season in 40 appearances as the Clarets romped their way back to the top flight.

But this season he’s found game time hard to come by, making just two starts and five outings in total.