Burnley midfielder Josh Cullen has already had a taste of Premier League football and is eager to get back to the top flight.
Cullen came off the bench for West Ham in a 3-0 win against Liverpool back in 2015 when he was only 19.
He went on to have loan spells with Bradford, Bolton and Charlton before Vincent Kompany brought him to Anderlecht.
The 26-year-old has played an important role for the Clarets this season in midfield and says he learned a lot from his time in Belgium.
“I’ve developed a lot of experience throughout different leagues, obviously my time at Anderlecht helped me see a totally different side of the game,” he said.
“I feel I’m a much better player now than I was then and if we can gain promotion, I’ll be feeling like I’m well-equipped and ready for the challenge of the Premier League.”
Cullen is also a regular on the international stage for the Republic of Ireland, having made his full debut in 2019.
The midfielder could be involved on Thursday night when Stephen Kenny’s side take on Norway in a friendly.
“These are the years that you dream of a young player and a young lad growing up,” he added.
“To be able to represent your country in the massive (Euro 2024) qualifiers we have coming up in the next year and to have the opportunity to try to fight and get into the Premier League is a massive thing in my career as well.
“I’m really looking forward to the future and what lies ahead.”
Cullen has become a key player for his country and was presented with the Player of the Year award this week.
“We know that we’re by no means the finished article and there’s still a lot to improve on as well, but I think we can take a lot of positives out of the last year and see improvements that we’ve made,” the midfielder explained.
“We’ve probably been a little bit disappointed with not coming away with results we feel like we’ve deserved, so now it’s time to just make sure that when we do play well, we win games, it’s as simple as that.”
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