Burnley summer signing Quilindschy Hartman has joked that they “adore” him at the club following his move.
NOS have comments from the defender today as he links back up with the Netherlands squad. They take on Malta and Finland in this international break.
The full back is back in contention for Ronald Koeman after missing out on several squads during his time at Feyenoord. He had fallen out of favour at his former club, with Robin van Persie preferring other options to him.
That motivated his move to Burnley this summer. He joined the Clarets early in the window and has since established himself as first-choice under Scott Parker.
Alongside being the undisputed starter, he’s also in charge of set-pieces. That’s something he thinks shows Burnley absolutely love him.
“I take the corners, the free kicks. They absolutely adore me, haha!” he said, ‘with a wink’.
“The cleaner is just as valuable as the boss here. I like that. That’s where I feel at ease. I’m in my best form since my injury. I feel fit and strong, although I can still do so much better and I’m nowhere near where I can be.”
While things may be happy at Burnley, Hartman has found himself in the press for the wrong reasons in the last few months.
“Burnley fans absolutely adore me!”
He was engaged in something of a war of words with former boss Van Persie after he made comments about the manager. These went viral in the Netherlands, leading Van Persie to respond.
Hartman then played down the matter, insisting his comments had been misconstrued. Now he wants to draw a proper line under the ‘mud slinging’.
“I think it wasn’t too bad. But maybe I should be a bit more reserved in the future,” he added.
“Ultimately, I’m someone who says how I feel. I think it’s also something people should appreciate. Otherwise, they’ll all become boring interviews, where a player says nothing’s wrong. But that wasn’t the case.”
