Sean Dyche thought Burnley striker was "top class" - he bagged 33 goals | OneFootball

Sean Dyche was full of praise for his former striker Andre Gray before coming up against him as a Watford player in 2017

Andre Gray may have only been a Burnley player for two seasons, but he made a big impact during his time at Turf Moor, and subsequently made the club big money too.

The striker joined the Clarets in August 2015, the summer after they had been relegated from the Premier League after just one season, and it didn't take him too long to help the club back to the top-flight.

In total, he made 78 appearances for the club after joining from Brentford, scoring an impressive 33 goals before departing for fellow Premier League side Watford in the summer of 2017, a move which broke the hearts of the Turf Moor faithful, and his manager Sean Dyche too.

However, the chance to sell Gray for a fee of £18.5million after signing him just two years prior for a reported fee of £9million was too good to pass up, and while Dyche was disappointed to see him leave, he was used to seeing key players depart Turf Moor for considerable transfer fees.

Sean Dyche thought Andre Gray was "top class" after his 33 goals

Gray has played a pivotal role in helping Burnley win promotion to the Premier League, winning the Championship Player of the Season award along with being the Championship's top scorer, and boss Dyche stayed in touch with him despite his exit in 2017.

In December 2017, Burnley welcomed Watford to Turf Moor for a Premier League fixture, with both teams flying high in the top half of the division, and it also marked Gray's first return to Burnley after leaving.

Prior to the game, Dyche spoke to the Daily Mail about the impact that Gray had at Burnley, and it was clear that he was a player that he rated highly.

The Burnley boss said: "I still send Andre the odd text. Beyond this weekend I wish him well.

"The history of Burnley, as deep and rich as it is, there's always been players having to be sold to move forwards, it's part of the reality of the club.

'It's not the first time we've had that happen down the years, it's often been the case. It's tough when you lose these players because it's not just their skill set, it's their personalities as well, how they fit into the group.

"But there's that real teamship here though, that culture and mentality, and it's not easy to build."

It wasn't a happy return to Lancashire for Gray as he played just 11 minutes from the bench in a 1-0 loss, but his impact at Turf Moor wasn't forgotten, and Dyche ensured that no Burnley supporter would forget just how important the striker had been for the club.

Gray's days of playing in the Premier League may have passed, but he recently made a surprise return to English football after spells with Greek side Aris and Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Riyadh.

He joined Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle side as a free agent, and he's made a decent start to life at Home Park, showing he's still got that goalscoring touch which led to Sean Dyche labelling him "top class" seven years ago.

Now 33, Gray may not be at the peak of his powers anymore, but he's still got that eye for goal like he did at Turf Moor all those years ago, and his time at Burnley will go down as his most prolific spell with 33 goals in 78 games.

The striker had to do things the hard way to get to the Premier League after previously playing for Shrewsbury Town, which saw him go on loan to non-league clubs like Hinckley Town and AFC Telford before making his stay with Hinckley a permanent one, which ultimately proved the springboard back to the EFL.

Dyche was right, Gray was top class at Turf Moor, and the current Everton boss may just raise a wry smile to see his former striker back in English football and back in the Championship.