JACK Cork revealed the new training facilities at the club had helped convince him to make a Turf Moor return.

The 28-year-old believes the £10.6million Gawthorpe redevelopment is a statement of ambition from the Clarets and as a result makes the club an attractive proposition for new recruits this summer. And it’s a far cry from the facilities in place when Cork joined Burnley on loan in 2010 when the first team changed at the ground before travelling to Gawthorpe.

“It’s completely different from what we were used to when I was here before,” the £8million addition from Swansea said.

“We used to get changed in the stadium then everybody would get in their cars, get dirty at training, put a couple of towels over their seats and drive back. That was that. We’d go and have dinner in one of the boxes and that was only eight years ago. I can’t believe how much has changed in such a short space of time.”

The Clarets were in the Premier League when Cork joined on loan and he stayed for the following season despite relegation to the Championship.

But the Burnley he has now joined permanently is much changed from those days ahead of a second successive season in the top flight for the first time in more than four decades.

And the former Chelsea youngster is impressed with the Clarets’ aspirations.

“The club is really pushing in the right direction to change and try and be successful which is good,” said Cork. “The amount of change is a good factor in showing how much ambition the club has got.

“It is attractive for somebody coming in to the club when they’ve got a training ground like that. It does help sway your mind.

“It’s only been eight years and you can see the changes already and how much the club has improved. There’s no reason why they can’t keep improving and looking to strive for better.”

Cork made 57 appearances for Burnley during his loan spells but when he departed Chelsea on a permanent basis in the summer of 2011 he joined Southampton, before moving to Swansea in 2015.

The midfielder said he enjoyed his spells at both clubs but insists he is now ready for a new challenge.

And he’s confident he can help Burnley build on their recent success.

“I’ve enjoyed the last seven or eight years,” he said. “I got promoted to the Premier League with Southampton and we stayed there.

“I moved to Swansea and had another couple of successful years and we achieved what we wanted to by staying in the Premier League.

“Now it’s time for a new challenge at a team I’ve known from before. Hopefully we can build something special.”