O’Neill surprised at early Burnley influence

Aged just 18, Burnley’s Aiden O’Neill can already boast playing against Premier League giants such as Liverpool and Chelsea, and now he is determined to push on and become a household name in his native Australia.

The Brisbane-born midfielder has been a part of the Turf Moor setup since youth level, signing his first professional deal for the then Championship side in January having been granted international clearance.

And the teenager has already had a taste of Premier League action, as a substitute in the Clarets’ 2-0 win over Liverpool and the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while also playing 120 minutes against Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup last week.

With those experiences behind him, O’Neill is looking to blossom and make the most of the football-loving support back home, while also feeding off the experiences of manager Sean Dyche.

O’Neill has already had Stamford Bridge experience (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

“It’s been a very good week for me, sort of unexpectedly, and at a young age to play two Premier League games and be involved in the Accrington Stanley game is a pleasure,” he said.

“The Premier League is massive in Australia, everyone stays up really late to watch it and they’ll have all watched me against Chelsea which is great. All the players are massive names over there, I’m not quite there yet but hopefully I will be soon.

“I want to be involved in every game and every minute of this season to try and keep Burnley up.

“When I’m playing I don’t even realise it’s the Premier League and the crowds are that big, I just do everything I can do to help the team and try to improve.”