SEAN Dyche is confident Burnley will adapt to the challenge of Europa League football if the Clarets seal qualification.

As long as Southampton don't win the FA Cup seventh place will be enough for continental qualification and Burnley can take a giant step towards securing that position with a win over their nearest challengers Leicester City on Saturday.

While bringing European football to Turf Moor next term would cap a memorable season at Burnley, the Europa League brings with it question marks over a teams' ability to cope with the hectic Thursday-Sunday schedule.

Kevin Long has already insisted that Burnley's Championship experience will stand them in good stead for the demands, while Dyche is confident they will adapt, given how his side have risen to every challenge during his tenure.

"There has to be a negative before a positive! I'm a realist, that challenge, if it comes, will be looked at," the Clarets chief said.

"That's life in football, it's very rare there's not a balance, if you're successful, people expect more, if not, people expect more.

"You get somewhere amazing, then three games later, rubbish, why are you doing that?

"I'm used to all of that, good, bad and indifferent.

"We'll see, we're not there yet, but we've adapted to most of the things thrown at us, and that will be the job again, can you adapt to that if it comes our way."

A spending spree this summer to strengthen the squad for a tilt at Europe is unlikely, despite the positive financial results recently posted.

The club posted a £22m profit for the 2016/17 season with the accounts revealing a £60million wage bill.

But Dyche revealed the wage bill for the first team was only half around that and said splashing the cash simply wasn't the way business was done at Burnley, a policy he has accepted and embraced.

"There was £60m on our wage bill, you know how much of that is actually wages? £60m is the whole club, every member of staff, every bonus, every NI contribution, the actual wage bill for the first team is about £37m for that year," said Dyche.

"It's satisfying in the fact that what we send out through you guys (in the media) is the truth. This is what we're looking to do, the chairman speaks openly and says this is a club that has to be secure year on year, that doesn't want to go 'ta da, let's just have a real go', as people say.

"They always say 'are you going to have a real go?', we have a real go every year. But it has to be in a controlled manner.

"It's no judgement on anyone else, it's just life at Burnley.

"I've bought into it, the board have been honest with it, the fans have bought into it - okay, this is what we are, and the club is in very healthy shape both on and off the pitch."

Even with Europe on the horizon Dyche has insisted his side aren't the finished article just yet, adding: "We're not the real deal, but we are improving, and that was a big thing for me."

Asked what it would take to become the real deal, he said: "A massive cheque book and lots of time."