Burnley: Nathan Tella reacts to Vitinho message after Luton Town drubbing | OneFootball

Ex-Clarets star Nathan Tella has reacted to Vitinho's message in the wake of Burnley's 4-1 triumph over Luton Town

Nathan Tella has reacted to Vitinho's message following Burnley's 4-1 demolition of fellow newly-relegated Championship side Luton Town on Monday evening.

Despite Vincent Kompany's departure to Bayern Munich in the wake of a dismal relegation campaign from the Premier League last time out, the expectation at Burnley is palpable ahead of their likely promotion bid in the 2024/25 Championship season.

Two-time promotion winner Scott Parker is the man entrusted with guiding the Clarets straight back to the big time and they've managed to retain the bulk of their squad heading into the closing stages of the summer transfer window.

The nucleus of Kompany's title-winning side is still intact at Turf Moor while younger assets such as Aaron Ramsey, Wilson Odobert, Luca Koleosho and Lyle Foster all appear poised to assert their influence on second-tier proceedings.

Rather unsurprisingly, Burnley have been tipped by the masses to stake a strong promotion claim and, although it was their opening affair of the season, those predictions feel like they could be vindicated rather quickly following their victory at Kenilworth Road.

Burnley's 4-1 victory over Luton Town

It's no strange sight to see strong teams coming down from the Premier League to encounter early teething problems in the Championship, but there were no such trials and tribulations for Burnley when they raised the curtains on their own campaign.

Josh Brownhill opened the scoring after just six minutes on the clock before French prospect Odobert doubled their advantage shortly before the half-time interval.

Tahith Chong did half the deficit for Rob Edwards' side, although two goals in eight minutes from Dara O'Shea and Vitinho ensured a blockbuster start to life back in the Championship for Burnley.

Their opening victory is made all the more impressive when you consider Luton finished two points above them in the Premier League while putting in a consistently higher level of performance and are also among the favourites for promotion back to the top-flight - and the Clarets were away from home, too.

Burnley will have confidence of continuing their strong start to life in the division when Cardiff City come to town on Saturday afternoon, with the Bluebirds having lost 2-0 at home to Sunderland over the weekend.

Indeed, the Black Cats represent Burnley's next opponents after Cardiff's visit to Turf Moor before a pulse-racing Lancashire derby showdown against Blackburn Rovers awaits on August 31.

Nathan Tella reacts to Vitinho's Burnley, Luton Town message

It was something of a surprise to see Vitinho on the scoresheet for Burnley last night, with the defender only finding the net three times previously, and he has lapped it up on social media.

Vitinho wrote in a post on his Instagram account: "Vamos @burnleyofficial ! 🙏🏼🫶🏼 Great debut and a very good game lads. Let’s build an amazing season together. 🔥"

While Vitinho's Burnley teammates took time to share their comments on the post, one such ex-Claret in Tella also got involved.

Tella, of course, was the driving force in the title-winning Burnley side of the 2022/23 term as his fruitful loan spell from Southampton yielded 17 strikes and five assists in the Championship.

Tella's simple, yet praising comment on Vitinho's post read: "😮‍💨😮‍💨."

The winger has since moved on to Bayer Leverkusen and played his part in Xabi Alonso's invincible side that romped to the Bundesliga title and he'll have the opportunity to feature in the UEFA Champions League next term.

He's still fondly remembered by Burnley fans though, a feeling which will only be heightened further after seeing him still remaining engaged with the club's successes more than a year on from his departure.