SEAN Dyche believes his squad now has a 'healthy mixture' of top flight experience and younger players looking to make their way.

The Clarets boss has prioritised Premier League knowhow so far in the summer transfer window, with 32-year-old Phil Bardsley and 33-year-old Jon Walters coming in from Stoke City.

While 23-year-old full-back Charlie Taylor, a £5m addition from Leeds United, has never played at the highest level, £8million midfielder Jack Cork has.

Cork, Bardsley and Walters bring 622 Premier League appearances with them to Turf Moor, and with many of Dyche's squad having only experienced the top flight with the Clarets, the Burnley boss is happy with the blend he now has in his ranks.

"The perfect scenario is to have a mixture. Charlie has come in at a younger age, there’s more development in him," he said of Taylor.

"We’ve got that bit more experience about the group with Jon and Phil coming in, we’ve still got players adapting like Andre (Gray) and Jeff (Hendrick). There’s a healthy mixture at the minute."

Dyche is hoping the experience of the likes of Bardsley and Walters, who cost just an initial £2.75million between them, can help his fresher players in Premier League terms develop.

Gray, Hendrick, Mee, James Tarkowski, Ashley Westwood, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Ashley Barnes are all still in the relative infancy of their top flight careers.

And while Dyche is aware he needs to build a squad capable of surviving in the Premier League again in 2017/18, he is also looking at the bigger picture at Turf Moor and trying to develop and improve the players under his guidance.

"You need a team and a squad that can handle the Premier League," he said. "But the bigger picture of the club needs addressing as well.

"Can we find that right balance? Are we still developing players, but have we still got the experience level that can rub off on the younger players?"

Bardsley may be involved at the City Ground today as Burnley face Nottingham Forest in their latest pre-season friendly (3pm).

Dyche said the former Manchester United youngster will be aware of the demands on him to fit into a hard-working group at Turf Moor, but he's confident he will be able to do that.

Like Cork Bardsley is returning for a permanent spell at the Clarets, having spent time on loan from Old Trafford in 2006.

Plenty has changed around Turf Moor in the intervening 11 years, but Michael Duff remains a familiar face, with the former centre back, who played alongside Bardsley in his six loan appearances, still at the club as Under-23s manager.

"We like players who have a demand of themselves and a demand of others," Dyche said of Bardsley.

"He knows Burnley of course from a number of years ago. Duffo said hello but then Duffo knows every footballer ever who's played at Burnley.

"He’ll understand the nature of the group by playing against us and he’ll know he’ll have to work hard to fit into that but I’m sure he’s prepared to do that."