New Burnley chairman Alan Pace says manager Sean Dyche has the job for as long as he wants.

Pace hopes Dyche remains part of their plans for a long time to come.

Asked if Dyche had a job for as long as he wanted, Pace told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: “Absolutely. Sean is one of the things that led us to want to do this. It's really important for people to realise that and hopefully I have expressed that to him directly.

“Longevity and consistency and the good fortune of having someone who is a strong and capable leader like he is, is a blessing for us.

“Leaders do one thing – they help us do things we didn't think we could do. They bring us and raise us above ourselves.

“He's been able to do that consistently and that consistency tells me a lot.

“It's not just being a magician, that's not it, a magician does it once in a while. There's consistency here that we really, really like."

The pair were not permitted to make contact until the takeover was complete. But despite doing his homework on the manager, Pace admitted Dyche took him by surprise on their first meeting. “He asked me a question I really didn't think he would ask. He knew of my religion and how we feel about drinking – we don't drink alcohol – and he asked if that applied to him," smiled Pace, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I loved our conversation. I think he's a great guy.

“I really didn't know what to expect, because you hear this raspy voice at his press conferences and he seems a little firm. But I think he's lovely.

“I think we are going to get on with very, very well, and there's a lot of stuff we can do together. And I hope he feels the same way."