OPERATIONAL director Brendan Flood believes Burnley’s first team door will be open to blood youth this season, as the club searches for the next Jay Rodriguez.

The Clarets’ key transfer window objective was to hang on to their talented homegrown striker, who was the subject of two big bids by Championship rivals Southampton.

After turning down a £4.5million offer for the 22-year-old, Flood insisted he wasn’t for sale.

And the club were true to their word after Saints were believed to have returned with an extra £500,000 on deadline day.

Rodriguez, who was handed his first professional contract by Steve Cotterill, made his first team debut under Owen Coyle in December 2007 as a late substitute in a home defeat to Bristol City.

He spent the rest of the season on loan at Stirling.

Rodriguez made 35 appearances in the following season, largely as a second half substitute, before finally establishing himself in the starting XI last term.

Rodriguez became hot property after earning an England Under 21 cap, against Italy, in February, but went on to sign a new two-year deal at Turf Moor.

Now, with manager Eddie Howe significantly reducing the average age of the squad since the end of last season, Flood believes this is a good time for the club’s younger players to make a name for themselves.

“We are trying to leave a little pathway for some of the youth development to have the opportunity to appear,” he said.

“If you’re always recruiting players that can sometimes block off opportunities for your youth players.

“We have a few exciting players within the club and need to allow them to come through because they, as we have seen with Jay, can be more affective than recruitment of outside players.

“Alex MacDonald has done well this season so this could be a benchmark season for him, as it was for Jay last year.”

Howe is just as keen to promote youth, after inviting second-year scholar Steve Hewitt on the club’s pre-season tour of the south west, going on to name the 17-year-old midfielder on the bench in last months’ Carling Cup second round home tie with League Two Barnet.

“We have to invest in that youth,” Flood continued.

“You can pay lip service to it but you’ve got to make a pathway for them to enable them to gain the opportunity to play.

“Things are very positive internally.”

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