Burnley manager Vincent Kompany says Nathan Tella still needs to improve after scoring a hat-trick in the Clarets’ 3-1 win at Hull City in the Championship on Wednesday.
The Anglo-Nigerian broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute before adding two more goals in the second half for Burnley’s 24th win after 37 Championship games this season, which sees them sit 13 points clear at the top of the table.
Tella – who is on loan from Southampton – has now scored two hat-tricks in the English second tier this season, the first came in a 3-0 home win over Preston North End.
Wednesday’s goals took the 23-year-old’s league tally to 17 goals, the third-highest behind fellow Anglo-Nigerian Chuba Akpom of Middlesbrough (23) and Coventry City’s Viktor Gyokeres (18).
“Nathan is doing brilliantly. I think it is a breakthrough season for him as a young player with great talent,” Kompany said on the club website.
“He’s caught a real wave of momentum and he is just clinical at the moment in front of goal, he’s working really hard.
“It’s a reflection of where he is at the moment, he deserves the credit he is getting for his record in front of goal and his application every day.
“Nathan knows he has a lot of work to do, improvements to be made and he doesn’t take his foot off the gas at any point and we really enjoy working with him.”
A second hat-trick of the season ????
Absolutely sensational ???? #HULBUR pic.twitter.com/ojme7Uzxgl
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) March 15, 2023
Tella, on his part, gave credit to his Burnley teammates for getting him to the best goalscoring form of his professional career.
“I still keep kicking the first one round, I’ve not put it on the shelf yet! No but it’s a credit to the boys who help me adjust really well and they’ve given me the belief that I can score goals,” the 23-year-old said.
“Today, the passing that we played, the runs that we all made. I think the cross from Ian, was a brilliant cross and I just knew that when you’ve got someone with such quality who can put a ball in that area, I’ve just got to make sure I get in between the post and thankfully I did and I was able to score and celebrate in front of the away fans.”
Tella will hope to continue his fantastic goalscoring form when Vincent Kompany reunites with his former club Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
