Vincent Kompany's "fantastic addition" is finally earning his Burnley FC stripes | OneFootball

It's taken time, but Burnley fans are finally starting to get a look at CJ Egan-Riley

One of the first recruits to the Vincent Kompany era at Burnley, it's quite surprising that it's taken CJ Egan-Riley over two years to establish himself as a Turf Moor regular.

But that's exactly what he's done now, taking advantage of an injury to Joe Worrall to cement his spot at the heart of the Clarets' defence alongside Maxime Esteve, with the duo striking up a great partnership.

Egan-Riley signed for Burnley back in July 2022 from Manchester City, and although it made complete sense for a City academy graduate to come and play for a City legend, he must've been wondering whether he made the right move when his first season was almost a complete washout.

Despite getting a few first-team opportunities at City in both the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, chances at Burnley were few and far between, largely due to the success of the team.

Loan moves to Hibernian and PSV followed, but neither were particularly successful amid injuries and a host of other factors, so he must've been wondering how he'd possibly come back and get into the Burnley side.

But he's proved a lot of Clarets fans wrong since he has, and they're now finally getting a proper look at a man Kompany lauded.

Kompany was thrilled to bring Egan-Riley to Burnley

It probably goes without saying that as one of his first signings whilst in charge, Kompany was desperate to sign Egan-Riley, so it was a little surprising when Burnley fans saw so little of him.

Speaking after he signed in July 2022, Kompany said: "CJ is a player we have been watching closely for a long time.

"He is a promising and talented footballer with an excellent mindset and attitude.

"We are delighted he has agreed to join. CJ has shown a real hunger and he wants to learn and succeed at Burnley.

"He fits perfectly into our culture and he is a fantastic addition to our squad."

It certainly seemed like his claims were empty to begin with, as across his first season with the club, he made just six appearances, and three of those were in the Carabao Cup.

He's been more integral in the league this season though, making 12 appearances so far this season at the heart of the meanest defence in the league.

Egan-Riley is finally justifying Kompany's show of faith

It's taken time, two years in fact, but Egan-Riley is now finally showcasing why Kompany was so desperate to bring him to Turf Moor, so much so that he hijacked Egan-Riley's move to Coventry City.

It's easy to see why Kompany wanted him so badly now, as his talent is laid bare, and the beauty of Egan-Riley is that he's so versatile - he can play at centre back, right back or as a holding midfielder.

Although he's looked so good at centre-back, Kompany always utilised him as a holding midfielder, and his on-the-ball attributes mean that he's tailor-made to step into that role later in his career when his game matures a little.

But right now, he's doing a sterling job at centre-back and certainly hasn't looked out of place at all, with the 21-year-old even able to stand up to the physicality of the Championship, which is usually something of concern for players coming out of the academy pathway.

He still has plenty to prove at Turf Moor, but he's made a perfect start to showing Burnley fans what he can do, and it seems that however much animosity Clarets fans have towards Kompany, his claim that Egan-Riley was a fantastic addition has some weight to it.