Burnley culture key to Heaton and Keane call-ups – Dyche

Burnley manager Sean Dyche believes the “culture and environment” at Turf Moor has helped Tom Heaton and Michael Keane to break into the England squad.

Goalkeeper Heaton and centre-back Keane were among the names in a 26-man squad named on Thursday by Gareth Southgate for fixtures against Germany and Lithuania.

Dyche believes the Burnley duo are deserving of their international call-ups, with Keane awaiting a maiden cap and Heaton having made two brief England appearances as a substitute.

“I think it’s a really good sign – the difference with Tom and Keano is that the culture and environment here has added to their pathway to international level,” Dyche told reporters ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Sunderland.

“They have been here long enough to mature with the team with a good thing for us and for them. Both have been fantastic with what they’ve done for us and now we’ll see what they do on international duty.”

Tom Heaton and Michael Keane included in England squad for friendly in Germany and World Cup qualifier v Lithuania.https://t.co/mZY8aViN49

— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) March 16, 2017

Heaton returns to the stadium where he made his international debut against Australia on Saturday and the Burnley skipper is delighted to be involved for England.

“We’ve had some good results in the transitional period since the Euros – obviously it didn’t end how we wanted it to, but there was no hangover and qualification so far has been very good,” the 30-year-old said.

“It has been fantastic so far [under Southgate]. There have been some great ideas that have carried the transition. The changes of managers can be difficult but the crossing-over period has been seamless and it bodes well for the future.

“It’s another proud moment when selected to represent your country. It’s a massive honour and they’re exciting times.”

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Full Press Conference: https://t.co/QfH6mNJpOT pic.twitter.com/ZFQwECF4gf

— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) March 16, 2017

Burnley travel to the Stadium of Light with the worst away record in the Premier League, having failed to win away from Turf Moor all season, but Dyche insists results have not matched the performances of his side.

“It’s a strange thing, the away situation is an anomaly – we’re creating and scoring goals, we’ve just got to get the right side of a result,” Dyche said. 

“The performance against Liverpool was a marker, the sight of Liverpool kicking it in the corners and wasting time, and bringing Lucas [Leiva] on for a striker, which you don’t see them do often, was a backhanded mark of respect. 

“There were a lot of good signs. We’ve got to keep creating and scoring goals. The fine details have gone against us, but we’re not a million miles away. We were pleased with a lot of things at Liverpool. It was a huge step forward after Swansea [City], we got back to what we are about.”