Tears, trials and taming Haaland - the Dan Ballard story that makes him perfect for Burnley

If Vincent Kompany and Alan Pace were concocting a recipe for a perfect Burnley signing this summer then Dan Ballard could be the end result.

Young and with room to develop and improve, but with senior experience. A player who has the character Kompany wants, having been 'let go' twice by Arsenal only to fight his way back. A player who has not shirked away from loan moves to the Football League and a player who has impressed immensely in both, as well as on the international stage.

Chuck in a fee of just over £2million with the potential of a substantial profit should he move on again, and it all adds up to a tasty looking deal with confirmation of the move expected in the coming days. The 22-year-old has undergone a medical with the Clarets after Burnley swooped in to tempt the Northern Ireland international despite interest from Coventry City and Millwall.

Ballard has more than 60 senior appearances under his belt and looks to have a bright future in the game with many at the Emirates confident he will have a lengthy Premier League career. That explains why Arsenal will reportedly be inserting a first refusal clause into his Clarets contract. But it wasn't always so easy for a player who has fought hard to make a career in football.

Born in Stevenage, Ballard was spotted by the Gunners and joined the club aged eight when playing for his local side in a game that left him in tears afterwards so convinced was he that he'd played badly. Yet a trial at Arsenal followed and he remained there for six years before it seemed his time was up.

Gunners legend Liam Brady called him in and said he would be released. More tears followed but after the pair chatted, Brady changed his mind and Ballard stayed for a further two