Thursday 24 October 2019 14:56, UK
Burnley manager Sean Dyche expects Danny Drinkwater to return to full training next week after recovering from injuries he sustained in an attack outside a nightclub in Manchester.
Drinkwater suffered a badly injured ankle and facial injuries last month after he was attacked by a group of men outside the Chinawhite club in Manchester.
The former Leicester midfielder has managed just one appearance for Burnley since joining on loan from Chelsea in August but Dyche hopes to have the England international available again soon.
"We're hoping by next week he can join in on a day-to-day basis with the first-team squad," said Dyche.
"He needs that now, as it's been a bit of time. He didn't have enough football time when we got here and we just about got him close to that and then he had another period out.
"Now we've got to give him more football time, as in games.
"It's not so easy to get them games but we can make sure that we arrange enough to get him to some kind of speed so that he can at least be part of the group and be active again for us."
Burnley host Drinkwater's parent club Chelsea on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Chelsea head into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League and Dyche has been impressed with the younger members of Frank Lampard's squad.
"[There is] almost that bit of freedom that comes with young players, [they] don't really overthink it," said Dyche.
"His challenge is to try and make that last for a season and the ups and downs that come in a season.
"They're on a really good run and they're a good side, there's a group of very good players.
"Even their younger players, Tammy Abraham - he's not that young. He's been around a while now, I don't know... 120, 130 games. It's not like he's a complete novice.
"The boy [Callum] Hudson-Odoi is still learning of course, but he's a very good player. Mason Mount looks a good player to me, [Fikayo] Tomori… there is a group there backed and supported by a very, very experienced group."
