Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Turf Moor ace Sean cloud nine
NATHAN COLLINS admits he was playing catch up after swapping the Championship for Premier League.
But the new Burnley recruit finally feels he belongs in the top flight as he looks to make inroads with the
Clarets.
The £12million summer signing from Stoke City knows he will have to be patient under manager
Sean Dyche.
But having made his debut against Norwich City last
Saturday, he is eager to taste more top-flight action.
“Of course I wanted to get in from the start, but I knew straight away it was going to be hard with two really good lads there in front of me with Ben Mee and James Tarkowski. “Even Longy (Kevin Long, inset). All three are good lads and they’ve all helped me so much, I knew I had to bide my time and be patient. But I knew when my chance came that I had to take it and play well and I feel like I’ve done that.
“But it was draining. I felt knackered by the end of it, mentally I was drained as I had to be switched on for the full 90 minutes.”
And Collins continued: “It’s obviously been a short time but I probably have improved because straight away when I went in I knew there was a jump in standard.
“I had to catch up to it, fitness-wise. Everything was a little jump and in the last few months I feel like I’ve gradually caught up.
“It’s a Premier League team with premier league players so they’re class.
“The more I train with them the more I think I’ll improve.” And Collins, 20, knows he will have to bide his time with Ireland too as Shane Duffy and John Egan are the centre-back mainstays in the side.
Andrew Omobamidele impressed last month and Dara O’shea will eventually return to the squad next year after his serious ankle injury. Competition is fierce and Collins said: “They have so many good centre halves, they’re all class so it’s hard to say when my chance is going to come.”