WHEN Andre Gray followed Michael Keane out of the Turf Moor exit door three days before the start of the Premier League season there was plenty of concern for how Burnley would fare without two of last season's key men.

It had been another summer of upheaval for the Clarets and although they recouped over £40million for Keane and Gray it was proving to be no easy task to replace them.

In the end there was no replacement for Keane, while some of the money from Gray's move from Watford was reinvested in the club record deal for Chris Wood.

But four months on that concern has disappeared with Burnley sitting seventh and having already got the better of Keane and Everton the Clarets will seek to get one over on Gray and Watford at Turf Moor tomorrow.

Sean Dyche has been faced with rebuilding jobs with the Clarets before and he's been delighted with how his squad have responded this season.

“It’s not the first time we’ve had that happen down the years, it’s often been the case," the Burnley boss said.

“The history of Burnley, as deep and rich as it is, there’s always been players having to be sold to move forwards, it’s part of the reality of the club.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a great thing to do, and it’s tough when you lose these players, it’s not just their skill set, it’s their personalities as well, how they fit into the group.

"There’s that real teamship here though, that culture and mentality, and it’s not easy to build.

"If people leave that, it can affect it. It’s how quickly it can remould, and there’s that connection again from this slightly newer group."

Gray hit 23 goals in the Championship for Burnley in his first season and then nine in the Premier League last term before making the move to Vicarage Road with just one year remaining on his Turf Moor deal.

He has just two goals for the Hornets so far and has been in and out of the side under Marco Silva.

"He's a terrific lad, he'll be still finding his feet there, getting use to the players, but he was absolutely top class for us," Dyche said.

"Beyond the weekend I wish I him well. I still send him the odd text like I do a lot of my former players."

Gray's departure has led to a change in the way the Clarets play, with Wood able to hold the ball up to better effect and allow the midfield to get forward and join the attack.

But Dyche insists that change is simply a result of working with what he has at his disposal.

“My preferred style of management is to work with what you’ve got, and to give them the best chance of being productive, or in his case, scoring goals, and we felt the team played a way that would be effective for him," Dyche said of Gray's role with Burnley.

“It’s fair to say most of the time it was."