Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier has transformed his career since joining from Burnley in 2015.
But he still credits former manager Sean Dyche with getting him to where he is and has revealed that he would love to play under Dyche and at Burnley again in the future.
Trippier made 185 appearances for Burnley – 125 under Dyche – before he was bought for a bargain fee of just £4.4million, a fraction of the fee he would command today.
And, in an interview with the Burnley Express, he has said that he hopes that he will play for Dyche again in the future.
“I still talk to the gaffer on a regular basis ,” said Trippier.
“We were close when I was at Burnley and I would love to play for him again one day. We usually talk once every two weeks, just to keep each other updated on things.
“We just have that understanding, I think everybody that plays for him does. Hopefully one day it will happen; never say never.”
“Burnley helped me get to where I am and I’ll never forget that. I’ll always be thankful to them. It would be nice to think that I could play for Burnley one day, you never know what can happen.”
OPINION
It’s classy of Trippier to pay tribute to his former club and manager like this. And it’s very different to the infamous interview that Danny Rose gave to the Sun, when he hinted that he wanted to play for Man United. If Trippier did play for Burnley again it would be in the twilight of his career after he’s served Tottenham as best he can. The 28-year-old right-back hasn’t reached the heights of his pre-World Cup form this season, and he’s come in for some criticism from Spurs fans this season, but he’s still an important player for manager Mauricio Pochettino. And this could be a defining season for him and his teammates as they still battle on the two biggest fronts – the Premier League and the Champions League. And Spurs travel to Turf Moor tomorrow where Trippier will be hoping to come away with all three points.