CLARETS legend Willie Irvine says it is imperative that Burnley hang on to Sean Dyche, but the former forward feels the sought-after manager would leave the club in great shape if he was to move on.

Dyche has been tipped for the vacant hot-seats at both Leicester City and Everton, following the sackings of Craig Shakespeare and Ronald Koeman respectively, while he could be an option for West Ham, where manager Slaven Bilic has come under pressure with just two league wins this season.

Everton are understood to be taking their time in replacing Koeman, with former Clarets defender David Unsworth set to be in caretaker charge until at least the next international break.

But Irvine hopes the Clarets can keep hold of the man who has inspired two promotions, including the Championship title, and Premier League survival during almost five years in charge.

“It’s very important Burnley keep him because he has transformed the club from when he first came here,” said the 74-year-old.

“He has done a great job here and I wouldn’t like to see him go.

“And talking to the fans I see, they agree with me.

“He hasn’t just lifted the club, but he has done wonders for the whole town.

“You can understand the interest in him because of what he has done at Turf Moor.

“If he was to move on, if it was to a so-called bigger club, then I would wish him all the best because he has earned that opportunity.

“But he has really built something at Burnley - not just the team but also the magnificent training ground at Gawthorpe that he has instigated, and I hope he has the opportunity to grow with that and see how far the club can go.”

But Irvine fears that Dyche could not only be lured by a bigger club, should the call come, but also bigger budgets.

“He has done a tremendous job for Burnley with very little money,” he said.

“The Everton chairman has talked about how many millions can be given to the new manager, and that must be tempting having worked wonders with not very much in comparison.

“He has got the whole squad behind him and I’m sure they would miss him if he was to leave.

“It would be a very difficult task to replace him. But equally if he was to leave, whoever came in would inherit some very good players.”