Vincent Kompany left Anderlecht to become the Burnley manager in June and that saw a few players from Belgium arrive at Turf Moor in the summer transfer window.
Manuel Benson was among them, and he joined the Championship side from Royal Antwerp.
Gazet van Antwerpen had an opportunity to have a chat with the winger and he insisted he already had a good view of Burnley, prior to Kompany’s arrival at the club. The manager was then vital in his decision to join the Clarets.
“My agent and the clubs had of course done all the preliminary work, but it is true that the call from Kompany was the final push I needed,” he said.
“I knew Burnley mainly from when Steven Defour played there. That wasn’t exactly the football that attracted me. It’s completely different under Kompany. He emphasised that he wanted Burnley to play football like he did at Anderlecht. When I think back to the matches we played with Antwerp against Anderlecht, I see a lot of similarities.”
“The Championship is an extremely physical competition. In duels that you know in advance will be a fight, Kompany deliberately lets me out. I am satisfied with my start to the season, although my statistics – one goal and two assists – could be much better,” the player explained.
Kompany’s side suffered only one league defeat this season and it came against Watford in August. The tie also saw Benson make his first start for Burnley and the Belgian got a taste of the type of football played in England.
“In the early minutes I was knocked down five times. We also play without VAR, then those crazy defenders dare a little more. Some tackles look more like assassination attempts, but I don’t complain. I knew what to expect from the Championship,” Benson said.
“Indeed [teammates tackle him in training]. And then my difficult character sometimes comes up. Let me dribble, I think (laughs). But it does help me to anticipate similar situations in competitions. I also get a lot of tips from Kompany, with his past as a defender. Just like his assistant, Craig Bellamy.”
