SEAN Dyche has held up Nick Pope and James Tarkowski's England calls as an example of how players can improve at Burnley.

The defensive duo were handed their first international call-ups on Thursday as part of Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for friendlies with Holland and Italy this month.

It was reward for fine individual seasons as well as the collective effort from the Clarets this term, with Dyche's side sitting seventh in the Premier League with eight games of the campaign remaining.

Pope hadn't played a minute of Premier League football until September, when he came off the bench to replace injured captain Tom Heaton against Crystal Palace. Heaton's dislocated shoulder handed Pope a chance that he grasped with both hands and he has now followed Heaton into the England squad.

Tarkowski had made only four top flight starts heading into this season, but he has impressed as Michael Keane's replacement at the heart of Burnley's defence.

The duo were signed from Championship clubs for a combined fee of less than £5million in 2016, but in barely two years have risen to be key performers in the Premier League and now England squad members.

Dyche is delighted for both players and believes they are an example of the improvement and progress that players often make at the club.

“I’m really pleased for both of them and this is fitting recognition for the season they are having," the Clarets chief said.

“We talk a lot about the growth of players at the club and Tarky and Popey are both good examples of how players are able to improve and progress here, which is credit to all the staff and their team-mates."

The inclusion of Pope and Tarkowski takes the number of Burnley players called up by England during Dyche's reign to five, following in the footsteps of Heaton, Keane and Jack Cork, who was called up in November and made his debut against Germany in Wembley.

Cork was overlooked by Southgate this time around, while Ben Mee was also left out having been linked with a call-up.

But the fact that other members of his squad were close to making the squad - coupled with Southgate's regular presence at Turf Moor - is another positive sign for Dyche.

“There are others in the squad who might have been close to selection and it’s another indication of how we are developing and moving things forward as a club," he said.

“They have earned the right to be recognised at this level and we wish them well.”

Pope and Tarkowski's first call-ups have been well-timed as they look to impress ahead of this summer's World Cup.

They will now seek to make their debuts either in the friendly in Amsterdam against the Dutch on Friday, March 23 or against Italy at Wembley on Tuesday, March 27.

The pair will check-in to St George's Park on Monday to begin preparations for the trip over the North Sea as they seek to add to Burnley's growing list of internationals.

Cork became the 27th Clarets to play for England in November, while 16 members of the current squad have been capped at senior international level.