STEVE Cotterill has revealed he can't wait to welcome his old friend Mick McCarthy to Turf Moor.

The Burnley boss said the two were good mates and talked regularly on the telephone.

But he admitted the old pals act would go out the window for 90 minutes on Saturday as Burnley bid to keep up their unbeaten start to the season.

He said: "Our paths have crossed a lot and we're actually decent friends. I've got a lot of time for Mick. I like him and I spoke to him in the summer.

"I spoke to him when he got the job at Sunderland which was just after me and I spoke to him when he came out of Sunderland.

"I think he's an excellent manager and I'm looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.

"I just hope his team doesn't do well on Saturday. I hope I'm the one with the bigger smile afterwards."

Speculation linked Cotterill with the Wolves job in the summer although he denied he had taken part in any dialogue with the West Midlands club.

And he said they had appointed the perfect man for the job.

He added: "I didn't speak to anyone there. I think they've made the right selection with Mick McCarthy.

"He's a good manager and I'm delighted he's back in football."

McCarthy has signed eight new players since taking over just two weeks before the start of the season including former Blackburn Rovers strikers Jay Bothroyd and Jemal Johnson.

And Liverpool youngster Darren Potter also penned a season-long loan deal yesterday.

The former Irish boss brings his new-look squad to Turf Moor as relative underdogs after a mixed start to his reign at Molineux - a draw, a win and a heavy 3-1 loss to Preston last week.

But Cotterill is taking nothing for granted and is expecting another difficult game.

He said: "They (Wolves) were on four points before they went into the home game last weekend and it was only in the last 10 minutes that Preston got a hold of it.

"So I think the fact that they're a new side, Mick's done well there and it'll be a newer side by the time they come to us because I'm sure that Potter and Johnson will play."