Burnley ended their phenomenal 2022/23 campaign on Monday as they beat Cardiff 3-0 at Turf Moor in the final match of the season.
Vincent Kompany’s side finished on a staggering 101 points as they won the Championship title in style to gain promotion back up to the Premier League.
The Clarets must now begin to prepare for life in the top tier and could have a busy summer transfer window ahead of them to build a squad capable of competing in a higher division.
Whilst promotion provides Burnley with the possible opportunity to go into Europe to sign multi-million pound, experienced, players from some of the major leagues, the club could also use their new funds to add to their pool of young talent.
One prospect who has been linked with a move to Turf Moor this summer is Motherwell gem Max Johnston, who has caught the eye in Scotland this season.
Who is Max Johnston?
The 19-year-old defender is a promising young right-back who is currently playing in the Scottish Premiership and he could be the long-term heir to Connor Roberts’ position in the side.
Burnley’s current first-choice option in the role enjoyed a sublime season in the Championship, having averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 43 appearances whilst he also chipped in with four goals and six assists, and averag ed one chance created per match for his teammates.
The Welshman also made 1.7 tackles and interceptions per outing, winning 56% of his duels, and proved himself to be reliable at both ends of the pitch – bombing on to support the attack without being a liability in defence.
Johnston, meanwhile, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.75 across 15 appearances in the Premiership. The teen gem has provided two goals and three assists from right-back, whilst also making 1.8 tackles and interceptions per match.
The Middlesbrough-born full-back, whose delivery from out wide was hailed as “fantastic” by ex-Scotland winger Neil McCann, has shown huge promise at such a young age with those performances.
He has showcased his ability to be a difference-maker in the final third whilst also remaining active out of possession and these statistics indicate that the prospect is similar to Roberts in style, with both defenders making an impact on both ends.
Johnston is eight years younger than the ex-Swansea man and could spend the next couple of years learning from the 27-year-old to develop his game before eventually taking over from him in the starting XI, which is why this could be a shrewd move by Kompany even if it does not immediately improve his side.
