Burnley Under-23s head coach Steve Stone has lauded the influence that Chelsea loanee Danny Drinkwater has had on his young charges.
The Claret's youth side played their second Professional Development League match of the season against Coventry City Under-23s on Monday, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Drinkwater, who arrived at Turf Moor as a loan signing from Chelsea before the Premier League transfer window closed, featured for the Clarets' Under-23s in the first half of their match against Coventry.
The 29-year-old has been away from competitive senior-team football for more than a year and is now plotting his way back to full fitness.
While playing with the club's youth side is a way for Drinkwater to gain fitness, playing alongside the Premier League winner is an irreplaceable experience for the youngsters in the side, according to Stone, who has been in charge of Burney's Under-23 team since last year.
“He had a hard training session on Saturday morning", Stone told Burnley's website, speaking about Drinkwater.
"He’s worked hard last week since he came in.
“Forty-five minutes today was always the plan to make sure we don’t overload him, and we’ll see how the rest of the week pans out for him.
“To have him around was invaluable experience for some of my boys.
“They have played alongside a player who has won the Premier League – and that doesn’t happen very often at Premier League level.”
Burnley Under-23s play their next match against Colchester United and it remains to be seen if Chelsea contracted Drinkwater will feature again.
