SEAN Dyche hopes to welcome back Ashley Barnes to the starting line-up for today’s visit of Manchester United as Burnley continue to manage the attacker’s groin problem.

Barnes was rested for the Boxing Day defeat at Goodison Park, with Jay Rodriguez, match-winner at Bournemouth last time out, coming in to the side.

But 30-year-old, who came off the bench in the second half, looks set to return to the side against United as Burnley have a run of three consecutive home matches in the space of a week.

Asked about Barnes’ likely availability today, Dyche said: “He has got a chance.

“That is a part of the plan: which game do you choose? “Two in three days does affect people like Barnsey, obviously, from a recovery point of view and we have to monitor that and be careful and make the decisions on what game is right and what is not the one.

“Everton was one we considered to be not the one to give him a chance to be ready for Saturday.” Meanwhile, Dyche bemoaned the one mistake - when Dwight McNeil lost possession out on the touchline to allow Djibril Sidibe to cross for the goal - for costing them a point at Goodison.

“I was happy overall with the game plan because we thought with a new manager and a reaction from the crowd they might come out on the front foot more,” he said.

“But we couldn’t find the margins needed, the bit that turns you the corner and allows you the chance to win the game. “Unfortunately we made a mistake playing ‘inside’ football when we could play for position not possession. It is a detail within a game of tight margins.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side arrive at Turf Moor with five wins and only one defeat in their last seven matches in all competitions.

A fit-again Paul Pogba, who had been out since the end of September, has come off the bench in the last two matches but Dyche wonders whether his opposite number at Old Trafford - in Pogba’s absence - has found a midfield line-up which suits them.

“We haven’t seen him so much this season and with Ole being there you might look at it slightly differently,” said Dyche.

“He is a top player, obviously, but they have a lot of top players. From the outside (looking) in maybe they are looking at the consistency, not only just week in, week out, but also within a game.”

Dyche, whose side failed to make it three successive league wins since April after defeat at Everton on Boxing Day, hopes it is the inconsistent United which arrive on Saturday.

“They have spells when they have been quiet and other times when they have been electric,” he added ahead of today’s meeting. “Hopefully they will have a quiet spell against us and we play very well.

“You need to play well against the top sides and sometimes you need them to have an off game but there is no guarantee of that. “What we do is prepare properly to allow us to go and play and see where it takes us.”