FORMER Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has praised the “special” atmosphere at Turf Moor.

Coquelin spent 10 years at the Emirates Stadium and came up against the Clarets on several occasions.

The Frenchman has played at some of the biggest grounds on the planet but made sure to mention his experiences in East Lancashire.

"The English atmosphere is something special," he told the Daily Mail. "Every stadium in England – you go to Burnley and the atmosphere at Turf Moor is special.

“Every stadium has something. And you want to play games like this at places like Anfield.

"Allianz Arena is something, but Anfield is different. I think the atmosphere between the team and the crowd is something you don't really come across often in football.

"I always loved playing at QPR… I almost went on loan there when I was at Arsenal."

Coquelin left the Premier League back in January 2018, joining Valencia for a reported £12million fee.

The midfielder now plays for Villarreal and is set to return to England to face Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final first leg tomorrow night.

The Spanish club overcame Bayern Munich in the quarter-final and also knocked out Italian giants Juventus earlier in the competition.


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