TRIPP OF LIFETIME

‘Dyche stopped me being booze flop’

THERE was no way Kieran Trippier was going to finalise his £20million move to Atletico Madrid last summer without a check-call to his mentor Sean Dyche.

The England defender knows that without Burnley boss Dyche’s no-nonsense lifestyle message as Trippier’s career floundered at Turf Moor he might have partied his football future away.

Trippier’s drinking had taken his fledgling career to the edge after leaving Manchester City, aged 20, for Burnley in 2011.

Immature

Dyche recalled: “Kieran had been brought in by Eddie Howe the season before I arrived.

“You could see the talent he had straight away. But I needed to have a chat with him about lifestyle. He was a stereotypical young player.

“I thought he could maximise himself by changing his view of his profession, the fitness side, the dietary side. To be fair to him he took it on.”

A pre-season trip to Cork where the squad were put through their paces army-style brought a new focus to a previously immature Trippier. Dyche said: “He really struggled at first but it realigned his thinking and he has not looked back since.” Trippier, 29, missed the Champions League last-16 first leg against Liverpool in Madrid following groin surgery.

But as he prepares for the Anfield return on Wednesday, he praised Dyche’s tough stance.

The Atletico star said: “I was still going out when I was young, drinking. I wasn’t looking after myself properly back then. He came in and sorted it all out.

“We’ve always stayed in contact. One day I would love to play for him again.”

That close bond wouldn’t be any surprise to Burnley’s players, as Dyche (right) revealed: “It’s a standard joke with the lads.

I’ll always say, ‘You know I don’t do favourites... apart from Tripps!’.

“When Kieran was at Tottenham I would always ask Mauricio Pochettino, ‘How’s Tripps?’. He was definitely my favourite and still is.

“Technically he is one of the best I have seen. His passing range is outstanding.

“There is this negative thing about ‘long balls’ – but I said at the time why should I take away his capability to do that?

“He can land a ball perfectly whether it’s over 10 yards or 50 yards. I would be holding him back if I asked him only to pass 10 yards.

“I think if we had stayed in the Premier League in 2015 then he would have remained with us. But that’s where he advanced his career again at Spurs, although he had a tough time at first.

“A northern lad, used to having his family and friends around him, goes to London. It’s a big cultural shift. You are amongst a few big players and big characters there. I think it took him time to adjust.”

Trust

But Trippier settled in straight away in Spain under Diego Simeone. Dyche added: “I think Kieran trusts me and he phoned me about joining Atletico.

“I’ve always been honest with him. I didn’t speak about football. I knew that was no problem.

“We talked more about the cultural change, his family. He is really tight with them. I said if he was clearminded about that it was a fantastic opportunity.

“You’ve got to give him credit. He could have stayed in the Premier League but decided to go for it and take it on. That shows the different person he is compared to my early time with him.

“Tripps is a quirky character. He has a lovely edge to him in a funny way. But he has also learned to take his football very seriously.

“He feels attached to Simeone, who demands a lot, but Tripps says will always protect you too.”