Keane nomination a good marker for the Clarets

And he believes Keane's central defensive partner Ben Mee also deserves a lot of credit for his performances this season.

Keane, 24, was one of six on the shortlist this morning, alongside Dele Alli and Harry Kane of Spurs, Everton's Romelu Lukaku, Leroy Sane of Manchester City and Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford.

Mee, at 27, was too old for the category, but has been equally impressive as the Clarets have climbed to 12th place in the Premier League, with the pair ever-present.

Dyche said: "I think they've both been very good.

"Ben isn't young enough (for the award), but he's been very good.

"There's been some good performances, you've got to remember, the challenge for our players is not just like a Premier League player going into another Premier League club to play.

"There are players who've dipped their toe in before, had a bit of experience, come out and earned the right to go back in.

"There's a lot more going on.

"Then you've got to win games - we're not strong as every team in the league so you have to find a way of winning games, get points, sort yourself out, the team out.

"If you have a group of regular Premier League performers, they're going to know what they're doing, so we give them the information and guide them, but it's down to them to perform.

"So there's a lot of good markers from individual players, they're taking a lot on and still going out and delivering performances.

"That's been good, how they've adjusted."

Mee and Keane have helped Tom Heaton claim nine clean sheets so far this term, a figure only bettered by Thibaut Courtois (13), Hugo Lloris (12), David De Gea (11) and Ben Forster (11).

That comes after Heaton kept 10 two years ago at this level, and Dyche is pleased with those statistics: "That healthy balance, can you find it? We've been so close to it recently, chances at Sunderland and Middlesbrough, very good chances - enough chances against Stoke.

"We're not over defensive or so open we're just attack-minded, and over the season, we've got it right more often than not.

"But we've got to keep doing it."