Burnley boss Sean Dyche bottles chance to meet childhood hero Diego Maradona

SEAN Dyche suffered a lasting, major regret in a week of speculation about his future after failing to shake hands on something special.

SDGETTY

Sean Dyche regrets not saying 'hello' to his hero Diego Maradona

No, not the Everton job…..

The Burnley boss tried to get up close and personal with his all-time hero Diego Maradona but admitted he didn’t have the bottle to go over and say ‘hello’.

Dyche’s disappointment came at the FIFA football awards at the London Palladium and he was still cursing his big miss at his conference ahead of tomorrow night’s clash with Newcastle.

He said: “Yes, Maradona was there and I had this weird moment. Ronaldo and Messi were there of course but when I saw Maradona the kid in me came out and I thought to myself I would have to go over and talk to him.

“The problem was he was across the other side of the theatre and I would have to walk across. I was like being on a bungee rope. I took two steps forward and three steps back.

DiegoGETTY

Sean Dyche was star-struck when he seen Diego Maradona at the FIFA football awards

Diego Maradona gives Harry Kane shooting advice

In the end I didn’t do it. It was Maradona, man. The inner kid was telling me to go over and tell him how great he was but I just couldn’t. And I have been kicking myself ever since

Sean Dyche

“The inner kid in me was telling me to go over – and I didn’t. It meant walking past Messi and Ronaldo and I didn’t want them to think I was only interested in meeting Maradona.

“In the end I didn’t do it. It was Maradona, man. The inner kid was telling me to go over and tell him how great he was but I just couldn’t. And I have been kicking myself ever since.

“I would have said ‘when I was a kid you were the most amazing player I’d ever seen – and you probably still are’. In reality, I would have probably just babbled something stupid.”

To complete a bizarre 48 hours, Dyche spent Tuesday night at a Metallica concert and got some quizzical looks from his players when he returned to training.

Dyche added: “I was away from the club for two days – and that’s a long time. When I came back one or two said: ‘All right gaffer? Still here then?’ So yes, there was a little bit of banter.”

But away from the joking, he’s deadly serious that there has been no contact from Goodison and his job is to concentrate on driving Burnley up the Premier League.

He said: “I want to progress but I am progressing. But be careful of what you wish for. Where do you progress next? Where do you want to go next? Where do you get something you haven’t got here.

“You could go somewhere else and you go straight in an ‘bang’ they are asking why aren’t you doing this? Why are you doing that? And that trust has to start again.

“There has been no contact and I just keep getting on with it. I wanted to coach at the top level and we are. And I’m not looking for finance. I do not need money.”

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?