Burnley: Vincent Kompany must not sanction Anass Zaroury exit - View | OneFootball

The Clarets spent heavily and stayed true to their principles in the Premier League, but were perhaps naive in thinking they could replicate the same expansive football that had got them promoted.

Vincent Kompany tried to overhaul his squad, spending more than £100 million in an attempt to keep Burnley up.

This, however, meant that key players who were integral to Burnley's promotion were left out in the cold, with Aro Muric and Anass Zaroury among those who shone in the Championship but struggled for minutes in the Premier League.

Moroccan winger Zaroury played 39 games in all competitions for Burnley as they cruised to the Championship title.

But with the club bringing in Wilson Odobert and Luca Koleosho, as well as Jacob Bruun Larsen and Mike Tresor, Zaroury's minutes were limited from the get-go, and he spent the second half of the season on-loan at Hull City.

Burnley spent with the intention of staying up last summer and the futures of several of their key players are now uncertain without the allure of topflight football.

Burnley would therefore be wise to keep Zaroury around. A Championship-proven winger, he will be keen to play regular first-team football again as Burnley look to bounce straight back up, and the Clarets would be mindful to show loyalty to a player who has already proven his worth.

Zaroury makes bad first impression in the Premier League

Burnley couldn't have had a trickier start to life back in the Premier League as they hosted champions Manchester City.

The result was a whitewash, with City comprehensively taking apart a bullish but naive Burnley performance.

No one had expected Burnley to come away with anything from the game and yet Kompany was left seething after Zaroury came off the bench and received a red card in additional time at the end of the game.

It was a needless challenge, with City already 3-0 up, and 23-year-old Zaroury showed his age by picking up a two-game suspension with just minutes left to play.

Zaroury returned to the side but never got a look in, making just five appearances, of which only one was a start, as well as being routinely left out of the squad.

The attacker's petulance left him out in the cold, but with Kompany having to reassess his squad ahead of next season, he'd be wise to offer him a second chance.

Zaroury has Championship pedigree having helped Burnley to promotion

Zaroury arrived from Belgian outfit Charleroi SC 2022 and made an instant impact at Burnley, contributing to 16 goals and assists in all competitions.

Whilst his numbers weren't staggering, they showed promise for a winger of his age, and it was hoped he'd push on in the Premier League.

Kompany ultimately deemed him unsuitable for topflight football, but he showed glimpses of the player he can be on loan at Hull in the second half of this season and, with Burnley back in the Championship, Zaroury could prove a useful asset.

Kompany's future is still the subject of speculation and Burnley have a lot of work to do to rebuild ahead of next season.

But with Zaroury already on the books, it seems obvious that they should keep hold of a player with championship-proven quality and knowledge of the club.