Burnley boss confirms duo are expected to return against Notts County | OneFootball

Burnley manager Nicky Hayen has confirmed that both Zeki Amdouni and Connor Roberts could return for their season opener this weekend.

The Clarets face Notts County in the first round of the Carabao Cup. One week later, they will face fellow relegated side West Ham on the opening weekend of the Championship.

Hayen has been handed a boost with two important players set to return. Amdouni missed pre-season after representing Switzerland at the World Cup, whereas Roberts is still battling for fitness after a year out with an achilles issue.

“Zeki came in quite well, really motivated and this is something that I like about him,” said the Burnley boss. “He came in with a really good mindset, in good shape.

“He had a good session today so we’re considering taking him in the squad for Saturday.

“Connor’s back with the training squad too and had a good session today. It’s likely he can also make the squad for Saturday.”

The Carabao Cup tie will be Hayen’s first competitive match in charge of the Clarets. After four defeats and two draws in pre-season, the Belgian coach will be hoping for his first win.

“I’m looking forward to our first game,” Hayen insisted. “We had a pre-season where we didn’t win one game, so this is actually something that we really want to change.

“In the US, the players didn’t know me well, the way I play. Over pre-season we wanted to get as much information as possible and find as many answers as possible. I think we had two really interesting games to find these answers.

“I think the fans have already seen some ideas from us. It was not always executed in the best way, but you saw that the ideas were there. And now we have to execute it to the highest standard possible. Starting with the game against Notts County.”