Drinkwater to return to Chelsea

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 shock 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.

"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 their shock 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.