Burnley manager Vincent Kompany hailed Anass Zaroury for “announcing his comeback” from his World Cup heroics after his brace set up a 4-2 victory over Premier League side Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Winger Zaroury was a member of the Morocco squad which became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.
He netted twice for Championship leaders Burnley, along with a double from Manuel Benson, to give the Clarets their 14th victory in their last 17 fixtures and earn a place in the fourth-round draw on Sunday.
“It felt like it announced his comeback from the World Cup,” said Clarets boss Kompany.
“He hadn’t done anything wrong since arriving back but you could see he was catching up physically.
“The technical ability he showed in tight spaces isn’t easy to teach.
“We started the beginning of the season with a kid who needed to prove he could play in English football, and fast forward six months and we have a superstar.
“He has come back from playing in front of millions of people on the Moroccan streets. He didn’t just make us proud but the whole of Africa.
“He has to get through the change of lifestyle but he is in a good place and today he showed he is just cracking on with his work and not changing anything.
“He still has as much to improve on as a couple of months ago.”
Three of Burnley’s goals came about following blunders from Bournemouth players.
They took the lead when Marco Senesi’s loose pass was picked off by Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who threaded Benson in behind for his eighth goal of the season.
However, the Cherries were level after 12 minutes thanks to another error, when Burnley midfielder Josh Cullen sliced a first-time pass on the edge of his own area to give Ryan Christie an open goal.
Lewis Cook was hounded off the ball by Ashley Barnes in the 39th minute before Josh Brownhill gave Zaroury a tap in, and the Moroccan skipped through the defence for a wonderful second to make it 3-1 at the interval.
Dominic Solanke then pulled one back before Christie’s slack header gifted a fourth for the visitors, with Benson converting again.
Meanwhile, Ashley Westwood has completed a move to MLS side Charlotte on a permanent deal.
The midfielder joined the Clarets from Aston Villa in 2016 and went on to make 181 appearances for the club.
Westwood, who suffered a long-term injury last season, has put pen to paper over a three-year deal in North Carolina.
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