England new boy Keane rewarded for patience

The 24-year-old defender impressed on his England debut against Germany on Wednesday having earned rave reviews for his Burnley performances this season.

Clarets boss Dyche signed Keane from Manchester United, initially on loan, in September 2014, with the move made permanent the following January. Having had little chance to impress at Old Trafford, Keane has steadily built his reputation at Turf Moor, and the big guns in the Premier League are starting to circle.

Dyche said: “I read something the other day about it being his first season in the Premier League at Burnley – it isn’t. He came here two years ago. People soon forget, there has been a depth to his development. It’s not been overnight.

“Sometimes it’s misrepresented about some of these players. It takes time sometimes for these players to develop into what they are going to be.

“And unfortunately, due to the harsh side of football, managers don’t always get time to see these players develop long term.

“I’ve been fortunate we’ve had success enough to allow me the chance to hopefully rub off on some of these players, including my staff and the work they do with them.

“Keano’s a good example of that, (England goalkeeper) Tom Heaton is another one.

“It’s not just those two. But they are quite obvious about how they have moved forward with their own careers, how they have moved forward with Burnley, and are now being recognised on the international scene.”

Dyche is hoping to join Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling during his next walking challenge for Prostate Cancer UK in June, as he aims to raise £500,000 by walking 15 marathons in 15 days.

The walk will go through Burnley, where Dyche, like Keane and Heaton, is gaining ever more attention for his achievements at Turf Moor.

But the 45-year-old takes just as much satisfaction from the progress made by those who will never earn international honours.

He said: “There has been so many good development stories here from in-house, and it’s not always the ones that catch the eye.”