Drinkwater to return to Chelsea after just two Burnley appearances

Burnley manager Sean Dyche says Danny Drinkwater will head back to Chelsea when his loan deal officially expires on January 6.

Danny Drinkwater in the Burnley shirt during his loan spell.

Danny Drinkwater will return to Chelsea this month after making just two appearances for Burnley since joining on loan.

Clarets boss Sean Dyche confirmed at a news conference on Friday that the midfielder would be heading back to Stamford Bridge.

Drinkwater played just once in the Premier League for Burnley, in the 4-1 home defeat to Manchester City on December 3, having also started the 3-1 home loss to Sunderland in the EFL Cup in August.

The 29-year-old said it was "time to get my career back on track" when he signed a deal with Burnley that expires on January 6.

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"It was a bit of a complicated time at Chelsea, but I see this as a positive move and I'm looking forward to getting going," he said.

However, Drinkwater struggled to break into Dyche's first-team plans and he suffered an ankle injury during an alleged altercation outside a Manchester nightclub in September, further curtailing his attempt to rejuvenate his career.

Drinkwater played only 23 times for Chelsea after joining for a reported £35million from Leicester City, having helped the Foxes to the Premier League title triumph in 2015-16.

There are reports Aston Villa could make an attempt to sign him on loan for the remainder of the season.