Burnley boss Sean Dyche delighted to have wide men fit

But while he looks to replace Aaron Lennon – released at the end of his contract – to add to his options, he is delighted to have Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady fit and well again.

Gudmundsson made only 13 appearances last season after a series of niggling calf problems, initially missing two and a half months, before a further setback at the turn of the year.

He was involved in the last five games after the restart, starting the last two - his first starts since October.

Brady made only six starts all season, with 18 appearances in total, having missed started the campaign with a fractured rib, while a groin problem saw him miss the restart, coming off the bench in the last three games.

Both are contracted until next summer, with the club taking up an option on Brady in May, with Dyche saying: “We thought it was the right thing to do for now and for going forwards for next season.”

And on the duo, Dyche said: “They are fit and well, but true fitness is when you’ve played a number of Premier League games back to back.

“A normal schedule, week after week, and then you get that true sharpness and fitness. That will take time, but it’s good to have those two back in the fold.

“That’s the key, a run of games and true fitness.”

After the restart, initially Dwight McNeil was the only fit wide player, with Josh Brownhill playing narrow on the right, before injury to Jack Cork necessitated Brownhill moving inside, with Erik Pieters playing in an unfamiliar role on the right.

And while Dyche is happy to have Gudmundsson and Brady to call upon ahead of next season, he marvelled at the professionalism and versatility of Brownhill and Pieters, and the now departed Jeff Hendrick: “The more people we have available, and more options, the better chance you’ve got of working with the starting XI, but equally from the bench as well.

“The flexibility of the squad has been good, Erik Pieters has been outstanding with his approach to it, he’s obviously played wide but not that side.

“He’s been a shining light in the open-mindedness needed.

“We had that with Jeff Hendrick, who played four or five positions for us, and Jay Rod can play different positions.

“We’ve had to rely on that.I think that’s part of our makeup, that open mindedness to take on the challenge as it comes.”

Dyche is often pigeon-holed as a 4-4-2 manager, although he would argue there are subtle changes within that.But while he prefers to play two strikers, which is becoming more prevalent across the Premier League, he has often preferred two out and out wide players as well: “It’s funny, people talk about us always as a 4-4-2, but our most successful season we played half of it with Jeff Hendrick in the number 10 slot.

“We played Dwighty there at Crystal Palace, and earlier in the season he went in there at Villa and places like that. We’ve tried varying tactical situations and scenarios down our time here, and often we choose the one that suits the players as it’s commonsense. But I like to put round pegs in round holes, it’s good for players, and their ability to deliver the best performance possible, so often we play 4-4-2 or a variance of that, because it suits the players.”