KOMPANY MEN BACK AT WORK

VINCENT KOMPANY took the Championship by surprise, and has now caused a stir amongst the Premier League fraternity by already having his Burnley players report in for pre-season training.

A large group of Clarets stars who are not involved in internationals were put through their paces all last week, barely four weeks after their table-topping second-tier campaign.

Kompany, who rejected overtures from Tottenham to succeed Antonio Conte, is leaving nothing to chance as he prepares to mix it with the big boys.

And that will include utilising Portugal’s state of the art Cidade do Futebol facility on the outskirts of Lisbon for two 10-day sessions.

The early-bird players will be granted a 10-day break in between to ensure they are not overcooked for the start of a demanding season.

Josh Brownhill, a major cog in Burnley’s return to the Premier League after just one season, insisted: “Yes it might seem that pre-season has come around quickly but I can’t wait to get going again.

“I’ve enjoyed the break but in all honesty I’ve missed football so there were no complaints when we were told the date we were due back at the training ground.”

Kompany (above) also plans for his transfer business to be completed quickly as he aims for the Clarets to more than hold their own in the Premier League.

He wants to turn last season’s loan deal with Southampton for winger Nathan Tella into a permanent £10million transfer.

And Burnley are also in discussions concerning Sunderland’s Jack Clarke and Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres.