Burnley have confirmed that Jack Cork has returned to the club to take up a player-coach role in the Academy set-up.

Cork, whose playing contract expired at the end of last season, will now assist Under-21s manager Andy Farrell.

The 35-year-old began his coaching pathway a couple of years ago, picking up his UEFA B licence alongside Ashley Barnes.

“It’s amazing to be back," he told the club site. “Working with Andy Farrell and the U21s has been a good experience so far.

"I’ve been doing lots of stuff I wouldn’t usually have been doing as a player, like taking meetings.

“This is the next step of my career, and life, as I try to discover new things that I might be good at and some things that I might not be good at!

“I think as soon as you get older than 30, every footballer starts to think about it. You don’t want to think about it because you are enjoying playing football so much.

"But for me, especially getting my B licence with Barnsey, it was a lot of fun. Then, I started doing my A licence and it has just grown and grown."

Cork racked up more than 200 appearances for the Clarets, initially joining on loan from Chelsea in 2010. The midfielder returned on a permanent deal in the summer of 2017 and was part of the squad that qualified for Europe under Sean Dyche.

“I missed it when I was away for a month or so and it’s nice to be back in the environment and be back involved in football now," he added.

“Because I am new to this, I sometimes join in with some of the sessions which helps as I can see the picture earlier when I am in there playing.

“When I am running around and I can see it in front of me in the moment, I think people can respond better to what I am saying. At this stage of my career, it’s perfect.

"I am not sure how fit I will be but - when the fixtures pile up in December or certain things happen on the pitch that Faz or me think might help with someone’s development - maybe for 15 minutes or so I can come on and play certain parts of the game to help that player see how someone with my experience would be able to cope in that role.”