Kieran Trippier in: The best Burnley XI using Clarets players from 2000 to the present day

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It’s been a superb season for Burnley in the Championship this year and the club are looking well on their way to an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Clarets were relegated from the top flight last season after six seasons, including reaching the Europa League after a seventh-place finish in 2017/18.

Burnley have been promoted to the Premier League three times since 2000 and are likely to secure another as they currently sit at the top of the Championship table, 17 points ahead of third-placed Middlesbrough.

A number of notable players have spent time at Turf Moor and FLW’s Burnley fan expert during this century Ben Livingstone has revealed his best Clarets XI of the past 23 years.

GK—Nick Pope

Pope currently plays for Newcastle United in the top flight, with the Magpies having the division’s best defensive record with just 11 goals conceded this season.

He made 155 appearances for the Clarets, made his first call-up to the England squad in March 2018 and has made 10 appearances for his country to date.

RB – Kieran Trippier

Another player currently enjoying success at St James’ Park was reunited through a move with Eddie Howe, who first loaned him from Manchester City in July 2011 and brought him to Turf Moor on a permanent basis in January 2012.

He made 185 appearances for Burnley before playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and now the Magpies, while also making 40 appearances for England.

CB—James Tarkowski

Tarkowski joined Turf Moor from Brentford in February 2016 and made 219 appearances for the Clarets before departing in the summer following the club’s relegation to Everton. He has made two appearances for England since his first call-up in March 2018.

CB—Ben Mee

Mee spent almost 10 years at Turf Moor after joining from Manchester City in July 2011, helping the club to two Premier League promotions while in Lancashire.

He also acted as caretaker Mike Jackson’s assistant towards the end of last season as the club were relegated before moving to Brentford in the summer.

LB—Stephen Ward

Ward joined Burnley from Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2014 and made 113 appearances for the club, including being part of the promotion-winning squad in 2016.

He left for Stoke City in 2019 and also spent time at Ipswich Town and Walsall before announcing his retirement last year.

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RM—Maxwel Cornet

Cornet signed for the Clarets from French club Lyon last summer and has shown his quality in a struggling side, scoring an impressive nine goals in 28 games.

He finished last season as the club’s top scorer before joining West Ham United in August but has had a stint at the London Stadium so far due to injury.

CM—Steven Defour

Defour joined Turf Moor in August 2016 for what was then a club-record transfer fee of £8million, scoring three goals in 58 games over three years.

After announcing his retirement, he is now the head coach of Mechelen in Belgium.

CM—Dean Marney

Marney spent eight years with the Clarets after arriving from Hull City in May 2010, scoring 10 goals in 221 games for the club.

He helped them to two promotions during his time at Lancashire and has been without a club since being sacked by Fleetwood Town in July 2020.

LM- Robbie Blake

Blake spent two spells at Turf Moor, scoring 51 goals in 138 games between 2002 and 2005 and then returning in 2007 and scoring 21 goals in 144 games before joining Bolton Wanderers in 2010.

He last played for Doncaster Rovers in the 2012/13 season and also spent some time as manager at Portsmouth.

ST—Andy Payton

Payton was initially released by the Clarets aged 15 but returned from Huddersfield Town in 1998 and scored 80 goals in 176 games before retiring in 2003.

ST—Danny Ings

Ings scored 43 goals in 130 games for the club, having joined the club from Bournemouth in 2011 before joining Liverpool in 2015.

After a break at Anfield due to injury, he had stints at Southampton and Aston Villa before joining West Ham United in January.