SEAN Dyche says he will not change Burnley’s pre-season plans, despite today’s fixture list throwing up a delayed start to the season.

An opening day clash with Manchester United has already been postponed because Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side are now on the 30-day break they were permitted – along with Manchester City, Chelsea and Wolves - following their prolonged runs in European competitions.

That means Burnley’s first game of the 2020/21 campaign will be a midweek Carbao Cup clash before a first Premier League outing away to Leicester City on September 19.

The Clarets, whose first home league game will now be against Southampton for the second year running, reported back to their Barnfield training base today after a break of just three and a half weeks.

But, despite the waiting game, Dyche says there will be no amendment to his preparations.

“We’re not going to re-plan. We will carry on with our schedule,” said the Burnley boss.

“We have the cup game, which is a real game and will give us that real-game feel before we go into the first (Premier League) one.

“We have always worked on ‘it is, what it is.’ That’s what we did with lockdown. We came out of that and said: ‘Look lads, it’s going to be a condensed period and we focus on it, as we always do’.

“That’s what we’ll get the players ready for. This is our start, it’s slightly different and this is the challenge right in front of us.”

Burnley do not face champions Liverpool until January, having travelled to newly promoted Leeds United on Boxing Day.

The reverse fixture is the Clarets’ penultimate home game, which is one of five midweek fixtures arranged for a condensed season that ends with a trip to Sheffield United on May 23.

The season will start without fans in stadiums with all fixtures to be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing restrictions around Covid-19.

United’s trip to Turf Moor will now need to be re-arranged, with a new date still to be confirmed.