SEAN Dyche believes the culture and the environment at Burnley have helped Tom Heaton and Michael Keane graduate to international recognition.

The duo were included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad yesterday for a friendly with Germany and a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.

Heaton will be bidding for a third Three Lions cap, while Keane is hoping to make his international debut having been included in the two previous squads under Southgate.

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Burnley will once again be well represented during internationals next week, with Stephen Ward, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady in the Republic of Ireland squad, while Sam Vokes will be on Wales duty.

“I think it’s a good sign that there are a number of internationals here, for different countries, of course,” Dyche said.

“For Tom and Keano, the difference with them, is that the culture here, the environment and the staff have added to their pathway to being recognised at international level, which is fantastic.

“Others that we’ve signed in, as internationals have been with us long enough to mature with the team. That’s a good thing for them and it’s a good thing for us.

“Both (Heaton and Keane) have been fantastic in what they’ve done for us, and obviously, we’ll see what happens when they’re on international duty.”

There had been speculation that Andre Gray could have made it a hat-trick of Burnley players in the England squad, but in the end the 25-year-old missed out on a call with Southgate only selecting three recognised strikers in Jermain Defoe, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford.

Asked if he was surprised Gray hadn’t been included, Dyche said: “No, not necessarily. I think he’s still learning. He’s certainly learning about himself in the Premier League. He’s adjusting to the challenges of the Premier League.

“And I think Jermain Defoe is a fine player. I think that’s been well documented this season. There are stories of other teams trying to sign him for quite a large figure for a player of his age.

“He still looks sharp. He’s still scoring goals. I think the game’s changing anyway. I think players are looking after themselves for longer, they’re staying fitter, there are more support systems.”

Gray has scored eight times in his first top flight campaign and Dyche believes his time with England will arrive if he can continue to develop at the rate he has been doing.

“I think he’ll improve from what we do here, and I think he’ll improve from the experience of being in the Premier League, so if he continues to do that, his day will come,” the Clarets chief said.