ENGLAND star Gary Cahill admits Burnley will always have a place in his heart as he prepares to return to Turf Moor with Chelsea on Monday.

Cahill made the first senior appearances of his career for the Clarets in a highly successful loan spell with the club during the 2004/05 season.

Then still a teenager, he featured 32 times for Burnley under Steve Cotterill in the Championship.

Cahill would later return to Aston Villa before making a £5m move to Bolton Wanderers, facing Burnley at Turf Moor in a 1-1 draw in the Premier League in 2009.

He went on to make his England debut and earn a £7m transfer to Chelsea, where he featured in their Champions League final victory against Bayern Munich.

The 28-year-old is now a fixture in the England defence, representing his country at this summer’s World Cup.

But Cahill has never forgotten where it all started ahead of Monday’s clash.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “Burnley have done fantastically to get back into the Premier League and I’m very fond of the place because it’s where I got my opportunity to play.

“It’s a great club, I really enjoyed my time there and I’m looking forward to going back.

“I’m really looking forward to the season starting properly now, we’ve got the training done, we’re prepared and ready to go.”