Pacy winger Dyer needs time to get up to speed

The 33-year-old joined the Clarets as a free agent on Monday after leaving Watford last month.

But he won’t come into consideration for Saturday’s game with Rotherham United at Turf Moor, or Tuesday night’s visit of Nottingham Forest, as he is assessed by the sports scientists at the club.

Dyer ended last season on loan with Birmingham City, and didn’t made a senior appearance for the Hornets this term after his return, and Sean Dyche explained: “He’ll probably take 10 days to get up to speed.

“He’s not played a lot of football this season, and although he has been training, that has been more sporadic the last couple of weeks, so we’ll give him 10 days, three days with the sports science lads, and next week he’ll be training and we’ll try and get him a game.

“He’s certainly a player who can help us going forward, but he needs to find out what we’re about and how we work, and be ready for the challenge.”

Dyche was pleased to see how hungry Dyer is in discussions about the move: “He’s not been brought in to replace, he’s been brought in to challenge and add to that.

“He’s got experience, and one who fell out of contract, and he wanted the challenge.

“He knew about us from his time in the Championship and is aware of what we’re about, and when we made contact, he spoke very positively about coming here and the challenge.

“He knows we’re doing well and have good players in the wide areas, but challenged himself.

“Lloyd hasn’t come here for money; he’s come here to be a part of something and he wanted that challenge.”

Burnley had looked for another wide player in the January transfer window, but failed with an offer for Brentford’s Alan Judge, while Spurs’ Alex Pritchard, having been set to make a loan switch, decided at the 11th hour to stay in the Premier League with West Brom instead.

So, is Dyer the final piece of the jigsaw? Dyche said: “You have got to be flexible, that’s the nature of football.

“This deal came our way, and we’re flexible on ins and outs going forward.

“Certainly anything has to be appropriate for us, but we like the group and how they are challenging each other.”

Dyer may be looking at next Saturday’s trip to Bolton Wanderers for his first involvement, and Dean Marney will again be unavailable tomorrow with a calf problem.

Dyche said: “Deano is having a good week but won’t be with the squad again.”

There is better news as Ashley Barnes steps up his return from a cruciate and medial knee ligament injury: “Ashley Barnes is making good progress still.

“He is still longer term, but is beginning to get back with the main training group.”

Burnley entertain the Millers tomorrow, with Neil Warnock at the helm for his second game after taking over from Neil Redfearn last week.

Dyche is an admirer of Warnock, and said: “He’s a wily old fox, a seasoned campaigner.

“I have a lot of respect for him.

“If you manage over 1,000 games, you deserve respect!

“He knows his way around the game and the division, and we have to make sure we’re ready for any reaction from his players.

“We’ve been there many times before, he might have a few twists up his sleeve, and we have to be aware, but we have been putting strong results and performances together for a while now, and we will look at what we are doing.”

Rotherham are again fighting for survival, but Dyche takes no-one lightly: “Burnley fans have come to realise, expectation is one thing and reality is another.

“They know the challenge, I don’t think they take any games for granted.

“We know we have to perform.

“Rotherham are fighting at a different end of the market, but we will be prepared and have to make sure we go out and put in a performance.”

The Clarets have put an eight-game unbeaten sequence together in the league, and Dyche added: “I don’t get too emotionally involved, any time is a good time to put a good run together, and particularly at this stage of the season, particularly considering some of the sides we’ve played recently.”