CLARETS captain Ben Mee is hoping the ‘exciting and enjoyable’ ride under Sean Dyche can continue following the manager’s decision to commit his long-term future to Turf Moor.

Dyche signed a four-and-a-half year deal last month in a move that could see his time in charge of Burnley reach almost a decade.

Few players are as well placed as 28-year-old Mee to judge how the club has transformed under Dyche’s leadership. He was in his second season at the club when Dyche was named Eddie Howe’s successor in October 2012.

Mee has since become a key part of the Dyche regime, standing in as skipper in Tom Heaton’s injury absence while closing in on 250 appearances for the Clarets.

“It’s brilliant for everyone, the amount of change that has been since he’s arrived (is huge),” Mee said of Dyche’s deal.

“We’ve taken to the club to a new level since he’s been here and it’s fantastic to see the growth in the club.

“We’ve come a long way, I’ve grown as player myself and we’ve had some exciting and enjoyable times.”

Dyche had been linked with vacancies at Everton and Leicester City towards the end of 2017, but his move from a rolling Turf contract to a long-term deal has shown a commitment to the Clarets.

“He’s doing well so there’s going to be interest, that’s natural, but the club has done well to sign him up for a long period of time and long may that continue,” Mee added.

Dyche took over a side battling in the lower reaches of the Championship but now Burnley are in their third season in the Premier League under his management and sit seventh in the top flight with 13 games to go.

Mee is refusing to make any grand predictions for what can be achieved before the end of the 2021/22 campaign, when Dyche’s new deal expires.

“You’ve got to go with the flow and see what happens, we’ve done that, we’re riding a good wave this season,” he said.

“You have to try and build on everything you can and keep going. The supporters will back us and every lad has got to give everything for the team. That’s without a doubt what we do and it’s important we keep moving forward.”

Mee’s development has matched that of Burnley. When Dyche arrived the former Manchester City youngster was playing left-back, a position he held until midway through the 2015/16 Championship-winning campaign when he switched to his preferred central defensive position.

Since then he has excelled at the heart of the Clarets defence, but he puts his improvement down to exposure at the highest level.

“I’ve managed to play a lot of games well which has helped, thanks to him (Dyche),” Mee said.

“Playing games is going to develop you as a player and gain that experience as a defender, I’ve managed to do that and we’ve enjoyed some successful times.”