BEN Mee insists he has loved every minute of his time with the Clarets and has no regrets about the route he has taken back to the Premier League.

The left-back was a member of Manchester City’s academy but left in July 2011 to join Burnley, missing out on most of the Abu Dhabi investment into City.

This week City officially opened their new £200million football academy, which will try and produce the stars of the future.

It’s a far cry from Mee’s time with City at Platt Lane, but he insists he wouldn’t change anything about his development.

“I have enjoyed every minute of being here,” said Mee.

“Last season was a massive highlight and playing in the Premier League this season is brilliant, so I have no regrets at all.

“I don’t need everything provided for me. Give me something simple and I can deal with it so for me it’s not a problem and or me it wasn’t that much of a change.”

Mee will be keen to prove a point to his former club when he travels to the Etihad Stadium with the Clarets on December 28.

But he admits they are almost unrecognisable from the outfit he left three and a half years ago.

“It’s changed an awful lot. There are people I still speak to staff-wise but it’s gone off the scale really.

“I’ve experienced a lot of different things, and not having the facilities a massive club like City have got, it’s been good for me to adapt and see another side of it, to come here and enjoy it.”

The opening of the CFA is designed to help City develop the home-grown talent of tomorrow.

Mee, who is keen to go and have a look around the facility, which is next to the Etihad Stadium, said it can make players lives easier, but added it doesn’t guarantee quality players will come through to the first team, a point stressed by his current manager Sean Dyche last week.

“It’s going to help you as a young professional, having all that laid on for you,” said Mee.

“It’s a great facility and many people will benefit, not just the lads at the academy but people around there and the community.

“I might try and have a look round. It would be nice to see the facilities.

“If you are good enough you are going to play. If not, there are other places.

“To get that education would be fantastic for any youngster, but it’s not everything.

“You need the right coaches and the right people around you to help you and I wouldn’t go back and change anything.”

“I had great people there at the academy, who aren’t there any more and it was a good time to be part of that Academy at the time.”

Mee has recently returned to Burnley’s starting line-up after Stephen Ward’s ankle injury against Newcastle.

After a run of four games unbeaten, which came to an end last weekend, the Sale-born defender said the squad were growing in belief.

“We believed at the start but there is a growing belief,” he said. “We’ve got a great bunch of lads, great coaching staff, great gaffer and it’s all coming together at the minute. It’s changing a bit here with us with the feeling, we’re starting to get to grips with it.”