Derby manager Wayne Rooney and Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder have played down speculation linking them to the vacant Burnley manager’s job.
The Clarets, surprisingly to some, dispensed with the services of Sean Dyche on Good Friday after almost a decade in charge, with the club deciding a change was needed to help them in their battle against relegation.
Burnley are currently four points behind 17th-placed Everton, whom they battled to a 3-2 win at Turf Moor in early April, having last lost to basement boys Norwich at Carrow Road. .
There was little mention of Dyche being under pressure despite Burnley’s struggles, but the club opted to sack the 50-year-old with just eight games of the season to go.
Early contenders to take over include Rooney, Wilder, and survivalists Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis, though the former duo were quick to insist they’re focused on their current jobs, while also reserving special praise for the work done by Dyche on Lancashire.
“I think it’s a compliment to myself and the staff, and what we’ve been trying to do here. [at Derby]when they link you with Premier League clubs,” said Rooney after his Derby team’s impressive 2-1 victory over promotion certainties Fulham maintained their champion status.
“I was shocked when I saw that Sean Dyche had been sacked, he has been brilliant for Burnley for the last 10 years.
“I have seen the links in several news, but for me the important thing is that I concentrate on trying to keep the club.” [Derby] in this division and the future, my future, depends on this acquisition, which must be completed.
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As for Wilder, who managed in the Premier League last season with Sheffield United, he said: “I haven’t looked at it.
“Sean is a friend of mine. I think he’ll understand it in terms of what the industry is like and obviously a decision has been made. I’m not going to come out with anything in terms of this, that or the other.” My head is down and I’m thinking, ‘by Monday’.
“What I will say is that I think, without giving an opinion on the decision, he has done an incredible job there and I think the work he does in terms of what happens and the challenges he has had at that football club goes completely unnoticed. I think when people look back, he has been an amazing manager in the Premier League for a number of years.
“I’ve worked in that division and I know how tough it is. I’ve been there for two years, he’s had seven, eight or nine and keeping Burnley there has been an incredible achievement and one I should be very proud of.” from.”
Allardyce, who masterminded escapes from relegation with several Premier League teams, is said to be interested in the role: Sun reporting that the 67-year-old would ask for a significant bonus if he kept Burnley in the division, as well as a guaranteed contract for next season.
Meanwhile, Pulis’ name has also been thrown into the mix thanks to work he has previously done at West Brom and Stoke amongst others.