The former Manchester United youngster has gone from strength to strength since joining The Clarets in 2014.
Michael Keane has been rewarded for his stellar start to the season with newly-promoted Burnley by being called up to caretaker manager Gareth Southgate’s maiden England squad following Glen Johnson’s withdrawal through injury.
Despite representing England at under-19, under-20 and under-21 level, the call-up marks Keane’s first senior cap for his country and is a fitting reward for the 23-year-old’s eye-catching displays for The Clarets over their opening seven games of the campaign.
Keane’s inclusion also sends a clear message of hope to the plethora of gifted youngsters that are struggling for game time with the Premier League’s big clubs and failing to showcase their abilities – go out and get some regular football.
Nowadays it is too easy for young players to become comfortable with their parent clubs, particularly when they have progressed through their youth systems, and they find themselves clutching to the faint hope that, somehow, the stars will align and they will get their big break, fulfilling all of their boyhood dreams.
These lofty ambitions are not necessarily complete pipe dreams for football’s stockpile of talented starlets – just look at Marcus Rashford’s extraordinary rise to prominence for evidence of that – but, with modern football’s brutal instant success culture, such Roy of the Rovers tales are increasingly difficult to come by.
Keane, an impressively pragmatic thinker given his tender age, acknowledged that his first-team opportunities at Manchester United were going to be extremely limited due to the European giant’s wealth of defensive options, and duly began to assess his options elsewhere, with Sean Dyche’s Burnley ultimately winning the race for the then 22-year-old’s services.
The decision to bring his near 12-year stay with The Red Devil’s to an end must have been a painstaking one for Keane, a die-hard Manchester United fan, however the ambitious young Englishman prudently surmised that he needed to go with his head rather than his heart and move on to pastures new for the sake of his burgeoning career.
Speaking to The Manchester Evening News following his permanent switch to Burnley in January 2015, Keane said:
“Leaving Manchester United, you might say it’s a step back, but it’s just one of those things you have to do.
“It was a big decision. I spoke to my family about it for ages because I’d been there nearly 12 years. But I felt it was the right time, seeing as I am playing regularly and I wouldn’t get that at United at the minute.”
“I thought I’m playing game’s here, so at my age I’ve got a chance to play regularly in the Premier League.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, it was quite an easy decision in the end. It’s a good step for me and hopefully I can keep progressing.”
Keane has indeed progressed as he intended, with the young English defender bouncing back from the disappointment of relegation with Burnley in 2014/15 by leading The Clarets to an instant return to the top flight as champions last season.
Keane was a mainstay for Sean Dyche’s men as they romped to The Championship title, with the defender missing just two games as Burnley’s resolute back four conceded an impressive 35 goals in 47 matches.
The 23-year-old’s focal role in The Clarets’ successful season did not go unnoticed by the Premier League’s big boys, with champions Leicester City (as reported by The Sun) reportedly launching a £15million bid for Keane’s services, an offer which Burnley had no interest of entertaining for one of their key players.
Sean Dyche’s side maintained that Keane was not for sale throughout the window, and Burnley fans were elated to retain the services of their gifted young defender heading into what is sure to be a testing Premier League season at Turf Moor.
Speaking to The Telegraph last week, Keane confessed that he was flattered by Leicester’s interest, however he insisted that he was happy with his decision to remain at Burnley, a club that he has clearly grown to love: ” It’s flattering when teams like that come in, but I am really happy here.
“I won’t be looking at them (Leicester) in the Champions League thinking that it could have been me, because I tend to think what will be, will be. Hopefully at some time in the future I will get to that level anyway.
“When I was at United I was disappointed not to get too many chances or many games, but coming here was the best decision I ever made.
“I have grown as a player and playing week in week helps you improve so much. And playing in the Premier League helps you become even more comfortable.”
Keane has now deservedly received the ultimate recognition for his brave and refreshing approach to football by being called up to his national side for the first time and the Burnley defender has blazed the trail for youngsters loitering in the background at clubs up and down the country – sometimes you have to take one step backwards to make two steps forward.
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