Young defender Anderson signs new Burnley deal

Anderson, who has been at the club since the age of eight, signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2012, after impressing in the Youth Team that reached the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup.

The 21-year-old got his first taste of competitive football at Barrow in 2012, making a handful of appearances. Upon his return, Anderson made the bench for the Clarets first-team in a trip away to Millwall in January 2013 before ending the campaign at Hyde.

Since then, he has gone on to enjoy successful loan spells at Lincoln City and in Sky Bet League Two with Carlisle United earlier this season.

And the Burnley-born centre-back was delighted to have extended his stay at Turf Moor until the summer of 2017.

He said: “This means everything to me, I have been on one-year contracts for the last few years now and for me, to be given a longer deal is massive.

“You always get worried when you come close to the end of your contract and you know you have to work hard and impress and that is what I have been doing and luckily I have been rewarded for it.

“I have gained massively from my loan spells this season. My first game for Lincoln was in front of 2000 fans in non-league and then a few months later, my first league game for Carlisle was at Portsmouth in front of 15,000 fans so it helps you learn the game more and how you deal with different circumstances like that.”

Anderson, who has racked up 39 first team appearances while on loan added: “I just need to keep doing what I am doing, keep my head down and keep working hard. I’m no longer a young boy anymore, I’m 21 and now I have to kick-on and do everything I can to get into the first team and that has been my dream ever since I joined the club when I was eight.”