SEAN Dyche believes Michael Keane's rise is testament to the importance of 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.

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.

"I am proud of them, of course, but I'm proud of all of the different players, I'm proud of all the different departments and how they work here and what the club has become. I'm proud of the whole lot.

"It's not about a few individuals within it. They are part of the overall feeling of pride in what Burnley Football Club stands for now as opposed to what it did four-and-a-half years ago when I first came in."

Dyche, meanwhile, is happy to be able to help out England boss Gareth Southgate, whose path to one of the biggest jobs in the game had its own modest roots.

At a time when foreign managers hold all of the top positions in the Premier League, Southgate offers hope to other English coaches.

"One of the main points I found with him being in the system for so long and understanding the FA and how to work with the Under-21s etc, was for that pathway to end up with a chance of being England manager," said Dyche.

"So I think there was a common-sensical view, beyond that we want him to do well, we want an English manager to be recognised full stop, particularly at international level of course. We certainly will be supporting him as best we can."

Sean Dyche was representing the League Manager's Association (LMA), who are working with partners Prostate Cancer UK to promote awareness of the disease. Jeff Stelling's March for Men will comprise 15 walking marathons in 15 days from June 2-16, from St James Park Exeter to St James' Park Newcastle, with the route going through Burnley on day 11. Details at: prostatecanceruk.org/jeffsmarch