Vincent Kompany insists he and Sean Dyche have more in common than people think

Vincent Kompany welcomes predecessor Sean Dyche back to Turf Moor Saurday insisting they share more in common than people realise.

Kompany is irritated by the notion that he's a football purist compared to Dyche who was sacked in April 2022 after 10 successful years with the club.

'I love aggression in my teams as well. Pigeon-hole me all you want, but if there's a big tackle flying in, I'll be the first out of my seat celebrating,' says Kompany.

'I keep mentioning hard work and effort and you can imagine someone else (Dyche) using those words.

'And if my player falls on the floor, it's me who is dragging them up and saying "get on the pitch, you're embarrassing us!"

'That is my mentality. I really don't like the word philosophy in a football sense because the word dreamer usually follows. There is a lot of pragmatism to what we do.'

Dyche brings his Everton team in good heart on his first return back to Burnley. Without the 10-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules, they'd be in the top half.

'I imagine he will get a pretty warm reception from Burnley fans. At least I hope so, it is important to recognise the contribution he made,' added Kompany.

'He represents the club's recent history with promotions and getting into Europe.'

Burnley are joint-bottom but four points from their last three matches is an upturn. Having been praised for his attacking flair in winning The Championship, Kompany is delighted with Burnley's defensive resolve in conceding only twice in their last three games.

'We won't always be in control of the flow of games in the Premier League and then we have to do what the match situation demands,' said The Clarets boss.

'In the end you have to go out and get what you deserve. Playing well and not picking up results doesn't mean anything.'