West Ham defender Reece Burke is determined to make the most of his Europa League chance.

Burke is hoping to get the chance to impress again in the UEFA Europa League second-leg against Astra Giurgiu on Thursday.

He told whufc.com: “It's 100 per cent important that we progress and get through to the group stage. We of course want to do better than we did in the competition last year.

“If I'm still at the Club and not on loan, the Europa League fixtures are a chance for me to get more appearances. It's not guaranteed that we're through though, so we have work to do in the second leg."

The centre-back has hinted at a potential loan move and revealed he has held talks with boss Slaven Bilic.

“I'm delighted to sign for the Club I support and obviously it's a long-term deal. It gives me more time to progress and get into the first team.

“I spoke with the gaffer, and if I'm not playing here, I want to be playing somewhere else. The Championship would be ideal, because I obviously did do well in League One.

“The gaffer did say he wanted me to stay to begin with, but there have been a few games where I'd have liked to be involved and I haven't been. The more experience you get the better player you become."