Sunday 19 November 2017 23:14, UK
Jack Cork has hinted Paul Clement may not have been behind his move from Swansea and hopes the under-pressure manager continues at the Welsh club.
Cork was allowed to leave the Liberty Stadium for Burnley in the summer and has been a driving force in the Clarets' rise to seventh in the Premier League.
His fine form helped Cork earn an England debut against Germany earlier this month and he even popped up with a rare goal as Burnley condemned the Welshmen to a 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor on Saturday.
The evidence that his £10m exit was a dire piece of business for relegation-battling Swansea is fast piling up, but this is a mistake which may not lie with Clement, according to the player.
"I think it maybe wasn't his decision," Cork said.
"They bought me for £1.5m, the bid came in from Burnley for a lot more than they paid and they were obviously trying to raise money to bring more midfield players in.
"It was one of those things when I ended up leaving, but he said he still looks out for me and he told me, 'Well done for England'."
Clement, speaking after the match, said of Cork's sale: "That was the business that was decided to be done."
There are certainly no hard feelings between the pair, who share a long association reaching all the way back the Chelsea Academy and chatted happily after the match.
And Cork, for one, hopes Clement gets to attempt a second great escape at the club he saved from an even worse position last term.
"I said to him that I hoped they can get out of it and find the form I know they are capable of," added Cork.
"It all does come down to the manager, but you know he's got quality. He's been there before and what he did last season was an unbelievable achievement. He pulled us right out of it, got some big wins, and they know at that club that he's capable of doing that.
"It was a real mess when he came in back in January and he has shown he can get them out of trouble."
