Fans baffled as Burnley return to pre-season before 2022/23 season is over

 Vincent Kompany is wasting no time in ensuring Burnley are geared up for the 2023/24 Premier League season with Clarets stars already reporting for pre-season training

Baffled football fans have taken aim at Burnley's pre-season schedule ahead of their Premier League comeback.

The Clarets were relegated on the final day of the 2021/22 season but hit back in sensational fashion to bag the Championship title last term. Registering over 100 points, no other second-tier side were able to knock Burnley off their perch once they claimed top spot back in October and Vincent Kompany's men clinched promotion with a record seven matches of the season still remaining.

With all three promoted sides maintaining their top-flight status in 2022/23, a high bar has been set for Burnley's return to the top table and boss Kompany is out to ensure the Lancashire side are well prepared when the new season kicks off in August.

The former Manchester City captain is leaving no stone unturned in Burnley's battle to avoid the drop and first-team stars have already been told to report for pre-season preparations. Posting a video of players arriving back at their Barnfield Training Centre on Monday (June 5th), the caption from the club's official Twitter account reads: "Back from the break and ready to work."

With Kompany's former employers looking to complete the Treble this weekend, the curtain is still yet to fall on the 2022/23 campaign - a fact football fans were all too keen to point out.

"Wait a minute… the season ended in the EPL and ppl are already returning for training am I missing something here??," asked one perplexed supporter. "Wow goodness me. Feels like we've just finished! Champions league final hasn't even happened yet," highlighted a second.

"Have they got the dates wrong?" joked a third. "What break exactly? At least give them a month off," slammed a fourth. "In fairness we’ve been on holiday since February after walking the league," quipped a fifth.

Back from the break and ready to work 👊 pic.twitter.com/6Z4lKfxWoj

— Burnley FC 🏆 (@BurnleyOfficial) June 5, 2023

 While a sixth questioned the harm an early pre-season might have on the players, stating: "That's not enough recovery time, bad bad idea this."

While several Clarets stars were filmed back in pre-season, there was one obvious absentee. Wout Weghorst spent the second half of the season at Manchester United and was named on the bench for Saturday's FA Cup final. The Dutchman, who is a target for Everton in the summer transfer window, is expected to link up with his parent club in the next few weeks after he was handed extended leave.