'It goes without saying': Scott Parker makes Burnley contract wish for CJ Egan-Riley

The defender has arguably been the Clarets’ standout player under Parker this season, having previously been out of favour under Vincent Kompany.

But following an injury to Joe Worrall earlier in the campaign, the 22-year-old stepped into the side and has been an ever-present ever since – playing a leading role in a defence that has kept 17 clean sheets and conceded just nine times.

His sterling displays have prompted calls from supporters for the club to nail down Egan-Riley to a new contract, given his current deal expires at the end of the season.

When asked about the importance of that happening between now and the summer, Parker said: “It's important, I think that goes without saying.

“The trust I've put in CJ and the quality that he has, I think he's vital for us and hopefully we can get to a position where CJ feels that – and I'm sure he does, I'm sure he feels a commitment that we've given him as coaches.

“The situation is his situation, but hopefully we can sit around and try and get a contract sorted out for him.”

Prior to this season, the centre-back had only made six appearances with the Clarets and found himself well down the pecking order.

It’s been some turnaround for the former Manchester City man, who has also spent time on loan with Hibs and Jong PSV.

When asked if he’s been surprised by Egan-Riley’s impact this season, Parker added: “I don’t know about surprised, but there's a young boy and there's a young man. You need an opportunity.

“At the point you get an opportunity, you need to grab it and CJ's done that. He got an opportunity here and I decided to put him in. It was obviously down to an injury to Joe at the time and maybe even CJ was a bit surprised that I went to him. But I've gone to him and he hasn't looked back. He's been first class.

"I saw the quality in CJ from the minute I walked in here, but there’s still loads and loads of areas he needs to work on. There's still loads and loads of areas he needs to develop.”