Burnley sign Bardsley

Last updated : 16 March 2006 By Tony Scholes

He has joined us for the rest of the season and provides us with a boost ahead of our trip to the Britannia Stadium where he is expected to feature. He can play both at right back and in the centre of defence, and the Salford born Bardsley was a member of the squad that lifted the FA Youth Cup for Manchester United.

His first team debut for the Old Trafford club came two seasons ago in the League Cup and later that season he spent a period in Belgium with Royal Antwerp, before making his Premiership debut this last September against Blackburn Rovers, coming on as a substitute for John O’Shea.

He’s now played in eight Premiership games, with three of them starts, and also made three Champions League appearances, playing the full ninety minutes against Benfica and Lille.

For the rest of the season he’ll be a Claret, and he fits the bill of Steve Cotterill type loans of younger players looking for an opportunity, such as Richard Duffy, Gary Cahill, Keith Lowe and Nathan Dyer. He will wear the number 18 shirt most recently worn by Dyer during his loan spell with us.