Burnley have confirmed that striker Rob Harker has signed a new deal at the club, committing to the Clarets for another year.

The club's official website confirmed that the 20-year-old has extended his contract by 12 months, keeping him on the books at Turf Moor until the end of the 2020/21 season at the earliest.

Harker, who signed for Burnley from Bury two years ago, spent the second half of last season on loan at Hartlepool in the National League, making seven appearances before the campaign was ended prematurely amid the global pandemic.

While he is yet to make a senior appearance for the Clarets, he scored seven goals for their under-23 side last term before his loan move to the northeast and could get his chance to impress in Premier League 2, with Burnley set for their inaugural campaign in that division.

The striker is among several young prospects bubbling under the surface at Turf Moor, with the likes of Mace Goodridge, Jimmy Dunne, Josh Benson, Anthony Glennon and Bobby Thomas all being included among the first team squad for Premier League matches towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

However, it was telling that Sean Dyche did not deploy any of those in the English top flight, suggesting that he prefers to be patient with youngsters and only give them a chance when he feels they are ready instead of throwing them straight in at the deep end.

On that evidence, it seems likely that Harker will have to wait another while before seriously being considered for the first team at Turf Moor.

However, his contract extension is a sign of the club's faith in him, while he could use either Premier League 2 or a potential loan move to a team in the Football League to gain further experience and give himself the best chance of eventually getting the call from Dyche.

Burnley fans, do you have high hope for Harker at Turf Moor? Comment below with your views!