Dundee assistant manager Stuart Taylor hopes the club’s new partnership with Burnley can bring benefits to all involved.
The Dark Blues announced a new “strategic relationship” with the English Premier League outfit late on Monday, which aims to “promote player development” between the two clubs.
Dara Costelloe and Owen Dodgson made the move to Dens Park on loan from Turf Moor ahead of the announcement, with Marcel Lewis having already to Burnley this month after his Dundee loan.
Thankfully though, ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with Hearts, the Dark Blues will not need to approach the Lancashire team for an emergency goalkeeper, with Trevor Carson available for selection and understudy Adam Legzdins “on the mend”.
Taylor said more Burnley loanees could follow Costelloe and Dodgson though, with Dundee linked recently to Clarets striker Michael Mellon who had a prolific spell at Morecambe earlier in the season.
Dundee and Burnely hope for reciprocal relationship
“We’ve had a couple of chats with Burnley in terms of how they work,” said Taylor.
“The manager and myself are always thinking: ‘How can we learn, how can we get better, how can make our team better, how can we make the team better?’. That’ll be a part of it.
“I think that’s the biggest part of it: how can we get better, how can they make us better – but can we do anything for them as well?
“That might be part of players’ development, where we get them on loan.
“We send them back, like Owen with Liverpool, we send them back better than we got them. Just like we’ve done with other clubs.
“With Burnley, there’s a close relationship there and it’s a promising future.”
Dundee were without first-choice goalkeeper Carson for their Scottish Cup fourth-round defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday and lost Legzdins in the first half due to a virus.
Carson has recovered from the knock he picked up and his back-up is recovering after his vision was affected during Saturday’s match.
“Adam had a virus previous to the game,” said Taylor. “It was unfortunate he didn’t see through the game.
“He’s on the mend and Trev is back fit. We just didn’t want to take a chance.
“Adam had a viral thing which affected his vision, It was a headache like a migraine so you don’t take a chance with health and you make sure he’s looked after.”
Conversation