Paul Hurst and Sean Dyche are similar, says Shrewsbury new boy Luke Hendrie
Luke Hendrie is already seeing similarities between Paul Hurst and his former Burnley boss Sean Dyche.
The versatile defender left Turf Moor on a permanent basis earlier this month to link up with Hurst and League One high-fliers Shrewsbury, writes Lewis Cox.
Yorkshireman Hendrie, 23, spent three years with the highly-regarded Dyche, who has won plaudits for guiding Burnley to a number of fine victories this season and a top-half spot in the Premier League.
“Last season I was away (on loan) at Kilmarnock but I came back for pre-season and it was just a completely different club to the one I left,” said Hendrie.
“The mentality was different, they had a new training ground – stuff like that.
“It’s brilliant there. They are a great club and I’ll always be thankful for keeping me in the game and letting me out on loan.”
Now in eighth, the Lancashire club were incredibly flirting with the top tier’s top four earlier on in the campaign.
Hendrie made four loan moves away from Burnley during his tenure, at Hartlepool, York, Kilmarnock and Bradford – where he spent the first half of the current campaign.
But he spent pre-season training sessions under the tutorship of Dyche and hopes he made an impression despite the need to move on and secure regular football.
Town boss Hurst is a champion of Dyche and other British managers, such as Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder and Lee Johnson.
Hendrie can already see snippets of Dyche, who commands hard work and dedication from his players, in Hurst.
He added: “I had a feeling when I was there, with my attitude, that hopefully he (Dyche) liked me.
“My maturity too. Some lads at my age might be a little bit ‘stuck’ but I just kept going.
“But with him he’s an all-rounder. He just makes you feel like a good person.
“I can see glimpses, shades and similarities between the manager here as well.
“Obviously he’s a young manager and he’s got bright ideas as well.
“Hopefully I can be a big part of those hopes for the future.”
The son of former Middlesbrough and Leeds frontman John and cousin of ex-Villa favourite Lee, Hendrie is from a family of footballing pedigree.
He revealed that the advice of John helped him decide on a permanent move to Shropshire. While the ambition he felt from a phone call with Hurst was also a key factor.
“When I spoke to him on the phone he said that we have a young staff here and we’re ambitious,” he added. “As a player I take each day as it comes but I want to do well.
“We share similar traits, ambition and attitude. Hopefully we can work well together and bring a lot of success at Shrewsbury.”
