Dale Stephens 'found out on Twitter' he was being axed by Burnley after relegation

Midfielder Dale Stephens has claimed he only found out about his exit from Burnley by reading it on Twitter.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion player arrived at Turf Moor in the summer of 2020 after six successful years in Sussex. But his time at Burnley proved to be low-key, with Stephens making just 10 Premier League appearances in his two seasons at the club and 15 in all competitions.

His time in Lancashire culminated in relegation on the final day of last season when a defeat at home to Newcastle, coupled with Leeds winning at Brentford, meant the Clarets dropped into the Championship for the first time since 2016. Stephens admits he was hardly surprised after the club decided against renewing his contract. After all, he had only started one league game last season and was largely an unused substitute for most matchdays.

It was more the manner of how he found it with the 33-year-old claiming he discovered the club's decision via social media. Speaking to talkSPORT , Stephens said: “I actually found out, as bizarre as it is and probably sums up my time up there, on Twitter, of all places, that I was not getting a new contract. It is bizarre really.

“I knew anyway before my contract expired. It was when they (Burnley) released it to the press and I just saw on my Twitter feed that me and a few other lads had been released at the same time.

Dale Stephens played just 10 Premier League games for Burnley during his two seasons at the club

“So there was not much dialogue in terms of offering contracts etc. It was a clean break which sometimes is not a bad way to go about it. At least you know where you stand in the long-term.”

Stephens has been training with former club Albion in the past week to aid his fitness as he searches for his next club. As for his former employers, Burnley are heading into a new era under Vincent Kompany.

Vincent Kompany is hoping to guide Burnley to an immediate promotion back to the Premier League

Last month saw the Belgian confirmed as the permanent successor to Sean Dyche. He has a big rebuilding job on his hands with the likes of Nick Pope, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee having left. He's so far brought in four new faces: Scott Twine, Luke McNally, CJ Egan-Riley and Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Those acquisitions have helped add some youthfulness to the squad with the quartet all aged 22 or under.

The Clarets have begun a rebuild with signings such as Scott Twine from MK Dons

Speaking after his unveiling, Kompany said he was won over by the openness of Burnley chairman Alan Pace with regards the club's finances following relegation. The Belgian said: “They have been very transparent and I had a lot of time to make this choice. I can live with my decision because I feel it’s been very well-informed. Opportunities like these don’t come along very often. The club is in a rebuild. There isn't any politics. Things are simple and honest and what people tell you is what they mean and you roll with it.”

Kompany's reign starts with a trip to Huddersfield in the Championship's curtain-raiser on July 29.