Burnley manager Sean Dyche insisted Ghanaian-born Dan Agyei deserved his first-team debut after giving the teenage striker a dream start at Anfield.
Agyei came off the bench in the 89th-minute of the Clarets’ 2-1 defeat at Liverpool to earn his first taste of senior competitive action for Burnley.
“I was wanting to get him on. We would have maybe got him on for a few minutes more, not for any gimmick, but because he deserves the right,” said Dyche.
“He has been training with the group and training really hard and showing us signs and glimpses of what he’s about.
“He’s a young man and to make his Premier League debut here at Anfield is not a bad start.”
Agyei has been in and around the first-team squad at Turf Moor since returning from a productive loan spell at Coventry City at the turn of the year.
The 19-year-old, signed from AFC Wimbledon in the summer of 2015, had made it as far as the bench for the Clarets’ previous two Premier League games before making his first appearance as Burnley tried to force a late equaliser against the Reds.
“It was a great experience for me to make my debut. It’s just disappointing not to get a result,” Agyei told Clarets Player HD.
“It’s a massive step forward and hopefully I can kick on. I just need to keep training hard, try and get as many minutes as possible and hopefully score some goals.”
Credit: Burnley official website
