VINCENT Kompany watched Nathan Tella’s brace fire Burnley into the last 16 of the FA Cup and then joked he had hidden his phone during January to ensure there was no danger of the forward being recalled by Southampton.

Tella scored after just 46 seconds of Tuesday night’s fourth round replay against Ipswich, but Burnley needed his second in stoppage time to see off the Tractor Boys, who had levelled through George Hirst only three minutes into the match, 2-1.

The goals were Tella’s 10th and 11th of the season for Burnley, the sort of production goal-shy Southampton might be able to use themselves in their battle against relegation.

“We hid the phones and made sure nobody contacted us,” Kompany said with a laugh when asked if Saints boss Nathan Jones had ever asked about recalling Tella. “The last thing we wanted was to ask questions. We’re happy he’s here with us and that’s all that matters.”

Tella struggled for playing time with Southampton last season, making only 14 starts in all competitions, and Kompany believes the 23-year-old is thriving on the extra responsibility he has at Turf Moor.

“These kind of players, they need to play, that’s the reason ultimately why he’s here, but there’s never been any doubt about his ability to score and you can see in front of goal, he just needs to get in the right position and he needs to get the service,” he said.

“The other side of it is he works hard for the team. He doesn’t just strengthen us when we’ve got the ball. He gives us something when we don’t have the ball. It’s the right place at the right time for him. After that we’ll see but he’s doing what he needs to be doing now.”

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