Jonathan Walters backs compatriots to step up

Jonathan-Walters-Burnley

Share this story






Forward Jonathan Walters believes Republic of Ireland and Burnley team-mates Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady will step up even further this season.

The 33-year-old ended a seven-year association with Stoke this summer to link up with Burnley, who are priced at 2.25 to be relegated, for a fee in the region of £3million.

Walters became the fifth Republic of Ireland international at Turf Moor this summer, joining the likes of Hendrick, Brady, Stephen Ward and Kevin Long.

Hendrick was a big-money signing last summer after impressing at Euro 2016 and the Clarets shelled out £10million for his services to bolster their midfield.

Brady arrived in Lancashire in January for £13million from Championship outfit Norwich and immediately made an impact as he netted against Chelsea on his full debut.

The duo showed up well under Sean Dyche but Walters believes they still have a lot more to offer as Burnley look to beat relegation once again.

Walters expects Hendrick and Brady will be much more influential in 2017-18 after getting a full pre-season under their belts.

“Both are exceptional talents and I think Robbie on his day has the best delivery I’ve seen.

His delivery is worth a lot, especially from set-pieces. He can score free kicks and play in a number of positions,” Walters said.

“I played against him at left-back and he’s very difficult to play against. He can play left midfield and he played centre midfield for Ireland at the Euros.

“I expect the two of them to step on again and not rest on their laurels. I’ve seen that in pre-season, how hard they were working behind the scenes.”

Leave a comment