Burnley boss Sean Dyche can go all the way to the top - Steven Defour

The 32-year-old – who earned 52 caps for Belgium – lauded the Turf Moor chief as one of the best man managers he has worked under, adding that there is no ceiling to what Dyche can go on to achieve.

February’s Premier League Manager of the Month recently steered the Clarets to a second top 10 finish in the top flight, as the club finished just short of European qualification with a joint-record points return.

“He’s one of the best man managers I’ve seen in my career, but he’s also able to get the quality out of his team,” said Defour, who played his part when Burnley finished seventh in 2017/18.

“I think when you’re able to get a team to bond together, as we did, then you can get amazing results. That’s what he did.

“I don’t think there are any limits.

“He’s doing very good every year and I think he can go higher, with all due respect to Burnley.

“I think he can go on to manage a big English team or the national team at some point.

“He can do that, without a doubt.”

Defour played 58 times for Burnley, scoring three times, before his stay was cut short as he failed to fully recover from surgery on his knee.

The Belgian Pro League and Portuguese Primeira Liga winner, who collected the Golden Shoe at Standard Liege in 2007, claims Dyche turned him into a complete player and helped him to see the game from a different perspective.

Defour, who recently left Royal Antwerp after a season back in Belgium, said: “I had always played in teams who had a lot of ball possession, but he taught me that there are other ways to win games.

“He taught me a different style of play, which, in time, I really appreciated.

“He’s the best coach that I’ve had in the way that he changed me as a player and helped me to see the game differently.

“We had a really good relationship and I always appreciated how straight forward he was.

“He can be tough, but he was always fair.”