“It seems like they (Bellamy and McKenna) are cut from the same cloth. It’s like they’ve come out of the same football school.
“Both want to play a good style of football, possession-based, try and score on every attack if possible. Then if we lose the ball there’s an instant reaction to win the ball back as quickly as possible and swarm teams.”
Promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich last season was the latest chapter in what is proving to be a remarkable story for eight-cap international Burns.
Prior to joining the Tractor Boys in 2021, Burns had huge concerns over the direction of his career, and feared he would never realise his ambition of reaching the top flight.
“I’ve played in every league in English football from the Conference to the Prem, so I think I’ve learned a few tricks along the way that may help me as the season goes on,” he said.
“It’s been some journey. Maybe if I looked back three or four years ago, I probably would have thought my dream of playing in the Premier League was near enough over.
“My time at Fleetwood was coming to an end and I was looking around for other clubs to kickstart my career again.
“I walked into an Ipswich transition that could go one of two ways – it c]an keep going downwards or we were going to spike like we have done.
“Luckily for me I found a manager that got the best out of me and has propelled me back to where the club wanted to go, but not only that, has helped me achieve my dreams.”
Burns’ Premier League debut was cut short as he sustained a hamstring injury during a 2-0 loss by Liverpool at Portman Road in August.
Following a month on the sidelines, Burns has returned to feature in four successive matches for Ipswich, and has started against Brighton, Southampton and West Ham.
The wideman has taken up pilates in a bid to overcome his hamstring issues, and feels he is adapting well to life as as Premier League player.
“To pick up an injury in the first game, I was a little bit devastated really. I worked hard to get back as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I’ve seen a number of specialists, especially after my last time, to get on top of why it kept happening.
“In a game of football, there’s so many variations. Someone can knock you off balance when you’re running at high speed, it can send stresses through your body that don’t usually go there and that’s where injuries happen.
“Unfortunately for me it’s just the nature of the beast. I’m trying pilates every morning so hopefully that takes the edge off it. It’s tough because I’m not that flexible.”
Burns added: “I’ve played fairly regularly since I’ve been back, I’ve started all games bar one, and I’m adjusting to life in the Premier League quite well I think. It’s a very physical league, the quality of player is through the roof.
“Every team has got a squad that’s more than capable of giving anyone a beating in the league, so it’s mentally tough as well.”
