BURNLEY FC manager Sean Dyche believes gay footballers fear coming out – because of the attention they would receive.

The 48-year-old says a gay footballer “might not want to be that person [at the centre of attention]”.

But Dyche says “education is changing all the time” on homosexuality and believes fans from different generations have different views.

He said sexuality would have no influence on a potential signing and cares only about a player’s ability to play the game.

Dyche was speaking on a podcast hosted by former Downing Street press chief and Burnley fan Alastair Campbell and his daughter Grace, titled ‘Football, Feminism and Everything in Between’.

When asked by comedian Grace whether he thinks attitudes towards homosexuality within the game have changed, Dyche said: “Education is changing all the time on that. Yet again it’s a generational thing, generational standards now are way different to when I grew up in the 70s.

“What I don’t like is when people are measured by the standards now than 30 years ago. I think it’s completely unfair and all the things we talk about whether it is homophobia, race, feminism, it’s a completely different era.

“The next thing I’m more concerned about is not about homophobia, it’s about the drive for the next gay footballer, but think about it the next gay footballer might not want to be that person.

“[Everyone would say] ‘Look a gay footballer’ – imagine the noise of that.

“If a gay footballer did come out now and he was in my changing room, there would be nothing in it at all.

“I would just go ‘Are you a really good footballer? Well let’s crack on then’.”

When asked how fans would react to a player coming out, Dyche said: “I don’t know, I can’t speak for every fan.

“Is every fan going to accept everything, is every fan going to accept every change.

“You can’t judge every football fan the same because they are all from such massive generational shifts.

“My parents who I think were really good parents use completely odd terminology now than what modern life suggests [you should use] and yet that doesn’t make them bad people.

“They just go ‘Oh I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to say that anymore’.

“I’m struggling with it myself by the way - what you are not allowed to say. That’s one thing that I am really confused about.

“Personally I just want good footballers.

“My daughter is 13, my lad is 16, I think they are reasonable children, reasonably minded.

“Listening to them helps massively with my education and I think that is refreshing.

“I have my views on life of course but as I say I have come from a different generation - they fill in the gaps.

“They speak to me about things and I think ‘Oh yeah I never thought about it like that’.

It blends you into modern society.”

The podcast is available here podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/football-feminism-everything-in-between/id1464243841