At the end of a bad week for English football comes an uplifting hour at Burnley’s training ground in the company of one of the young players national coach Gareth Southgate will think about ahead of naming his first squad on Sunday.

Even before Sam Allardyce’s fall from grace, he had defender Michael Keane in mind and the 23-year-old had no hesitation in revealing his ambitions ahead of his team’s Premier League game against Arsenal at Turf Moor on Sunday.

‘It’s always in the back of my mind,’ said Keane. ‘It’s an aim to get in the England team and I hope it happens sooner rather than later. New managers look to make their own stamp and bring their own players in. So, I don’t expect it but I hope for it.

Burnley defender Michael Keane has been earning rave reviews for his performances

The Manchester United academy graduate scored his first Premier League goal on Monday

Keane has made secret of his ambition to represent his country and he is well on his way

‘I played for two years under Gareth Southgate in the Under 21s. I had a great relationship with him. I still do. Hopefully I can show him that I am still improving.’

It’s been a good week for Keane. Burnley’s home win over Watford on Monday featured his first Premier League goal and it is easy to feel pleased for the product of the Manchester United academy.

Impeccably mannered and articulate, the big central defender apologises for being late — manager Sean Dyche called an impromptu team meeting — before sitting down to reflect on a career that has found real momentum after a slow start.

Keane was certainly slow to develop physically — he is now 6ft 3in — and after three years of hard work and academic sacrifice at United, he only got to make one league appearance before he moved down the road to Burnley.

Keane admits that the 4-0 defeat at MK Dons sounded the death knell for his United career

Keane was a physical presence in the Watford penalty box throughout the 2-0 victory

The 23-year-old feels at home with Burnley after being handed far more first team chances

Coming on as a substitute against Sunderland in August 2014, Keane then played in the infamous 4-0 League Cup embarrassment at MK Dons.

It was a night that Keane believes killed a United career he had worked so hard to build.

‘It was a nightmare and that was the day when Louis van Gaal decided to sell a lot of players,’ he said, smiling ruefully. ‘I really believe that if I had been given the chance to play in a stronger team, I could have proved myself.

‘On the pre-season tour his (Van Gaal’s) coaches were telling me he really liked me.

‘But the team didn’t start well and the MK game just killed me. So it wasn’t to be but that’s fine. I have absolutely no regrets.

Keane is from a football family with his dad owning a season ticket at Old Trafford

Keane now stands tall at 6ft 3in but he was initially seen as too small to make it in the game

THERE'S ONLY 3 KEANES Michael is one of three players named Keane to play for Manchester United. Michael made one Premier League appearance for the club before joining Burnley, as did brother Will before signing for Hull in the summer. With seven Premier League titles, however, legendary captain Roy is still king of the Keanes at Old Trafford. Advertisement

‘I have loved every minute at Burnley. It’s been the making of me and I have improved a lot.

‘The gaffer (Dyche) was a defender and he really has been on to me to make me better. This is the place where I have become a proper footballer.’

Born in Stockport, Keane is from a football family. His dad is a United season ticket holder and Michael’s twin brother Will was at Old Trafford until a move to Hull in August.

Both boys played Sunday League together — ‘He scored about 70 goals but most of them were from my assists’ — before Michael’s progress threatened to stall.

‘I was small for my age and I think United had doubts about my ability, so I was only offered terms as a part-time scholar while Will got a pro contact,’ recalled Keane.

Keane was privately tutored after deciding to leave school in order to focus on football

Keane has made several sacrifices along the way and he saw his grades suffer as a result

‘So I haven’t done things the normal way. I have had to work hard. I was at college doing my A-levels and just coming to United a couple of times a week. All the others were there full time.

‘I was really small, like a little boy. When I was 17 they played me the whole season in the Under 16s.

‘But they measure your wrists at United and that tells them what size you will grow to. So I think they knew.

‘It was just up to me to make them want me enough so I used to come in and work with (United coach) Paul McGuinness in one-to-one sessions to improve.

‘The next year I went back to college for one week and felt I was going to lose my place in the team, so I left school and got privately tutored.

The England Under 21 international has worked closely with Gareth Southgate for two years

Keane used to work with United coach Paul McGuinness to improve one-on-one situations

Watford captain Troy Deeney got very little change out of Keane in his most recent display

‘I stayed on the same part-time contract but I went into United every day, which they were fine with.’

Keane’s studies perhaps suffered a little but he has A-levels in physics, chemistry and biology (all respectable C grades) and a football career that nods to the wisdom of his decision.

At United he developed and was part of the 2011 FA Youth Cup-winning team that featured Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.

He also benefited from training with players such as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. ‘I still speak to Rio, and Vidic gave me great advice,’ he said.

‘I was on the gym bike once and he came up and gave me some tips on how to unsettle strikers by nudging them and unsettling them while the ball is in flight. You remember those little things.’

Keane is hoping Burnley can turn Turf Moor into a fortress after two wins there this season

The defender has attracted the attention of both Leicester and Chelsea in recent months

Established in a thriving centre back pairing alongside Ben Mee at Burnley, Keane ignored overtures from Leicester in the summer.

And now, with Antonio Conte looking to reinforce his defensive options, Keane is interesting Chelsea.

‘I want to play as high as I can but my focus is on this club at the moment,’ he stressed.

On Sunday it will be Arsenal in his sights as Burnley try to produce the kind of performance that did for Liverpool in August.

Southgate could do a lot worse than to have a closer look at Keane with the senior set-up

‘We are confident,’ he said. ‘No one will enjoy coming here and we know that. We can get physical. We are not a nice team to play and we can cause teams problems.

‘It would be great to get another big result and remind people we are not in the Premier League to make up the numbers.’

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is celebrating 20 years at the club and it could yet be a big day in the career of Michael Keane.