Burnley boss Owen Coyle has handed pro deals to five academy graduates.
Five of the club's youth team - Chris Lynch, Nik Kudiersky, Chris 'Scorer' Anderson, Alex-Ray Harvey and Wes Fletcher - have this week put pen to paper on one-year professional deals after being informed last month that they would be offered contracts.
A sixth player - 18-year-old Ben Hoskin, the nephew of former Claret Ashley Hoskin - may also yet earn a one-year deal after being given a short-term contract to prove himself during pre-season.
The Accrington-born full back has been out for several months with a stress fracture of the back.
Coyle, who has played alongside the youngsters on occasions in the reserves this season, told the Lancashire Telegraph: "If they're good enough, I don't care what age they are, they'll play in my team because they bring a whole range of attributes and that's been borne out by the younger players you've seen taking the field for us.
"Sometimes it's all very easy to sit and chat, and talk about this or that.
"But we've backed that up, not just chatting about it but actually making the decision to play those kids.
"The five are a mix. There's two centre backs in Nik Kudiersky and Lynchy, who we believe in terms of photo fits for centre halves have got everything you'd look for. Added to that they've got ability.
"None of them are the finished article, they're all kids making their way in the game but they'll get an opportunity. Then it will be up to them.
"The two midfield lads, Alex-Ray and Scorer, are talented players. Both box-to-box players, both can pass the ball and score a goal.
"One's left-sided and one's right-sided, so there's a nice balance there and again it will be up to them to really progress and take their game on.
"Wes Fletcher is a striker who's got pace and can score goals, and again we think we can improve him as we did with Rodriguez.
"And all being well it actually might be six because young Ben, who has been out injured, will get a couple of months at the start of pre-season training to show where he's at.
"He's been injured for four or five months. We're trying to be fair to him, so it might become six players we're taking on, which is unheard of."
