Stephen Elliott: Nathan Collins would fit the bill for a club like Everton

Even before Nathan Collins waltzed his way through the Ukrainian defence to score a memorable first senior international goal on Tuesday night in Lodz, the Ireland defender was already etching his name into the gossip columns at club level.

The Leixlip native had strong second half of the season for Burnley but the club's relegation from the Premier League and question marks over the future finanes available has led to speculation that the Clarets may cash in on a prized asset.

But as the 21-year-old has shown for Ireland during June's UEFA Nations League fixtures, he is a player at home at the highst level.

While Vincent Kompany and Burnley would be keen on keeping him to aid their Championship push provided they don't cash in, former Ireland striker Stephen Elliott and ex-Drogheda United League of Ireland winner Graham Gartland told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast that they are hopeful of seeing Collins back in a top division.

Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

"He's proven he can play in the Premier League," said former Sunderland, Wolves and Manchester City striker Elliott.

"Personally, I think he's able to play in the Premier League and he's ready to go and play in the Premier League regularly and I think that will help him develop as a player coming up against the top players week in, week out.

"But on the other hand, you've got Vincent Kompany there at Burnley as a manager now, probably one of the best centre-backs ever to play in