GATESHEAD have snapped up Buxton defender Danny Burns but will allow the youngster to remain at the Silverlands for the remainder of the season.
The 19-year-old joined Evo-Stik NPL Premier side Buxton in the summer and has made just eight appearances for the club.
However, he has impressed enough in that brief time to attract the interest of Gateshead boss Neil Aspin and the Heed announced on Tuesday that they had signed the central defender for an undisclosed fee.
As part of the deal, Burns will stay at Buxton for the remainder of the 2016-17 season with Aspin expecting him to challenge for a first team place at Gateshead next term.
Aspin told Gateshead’s website: “Danny is a highly-rated player. He is one for the future. We see him as a long-term replacement for Ben Clark.
“Loaning him back to Buxton will give him the chance to continue his progression because he will be playing football every week.
“He will come back to Gateshead ready for next season, by which point he should be pushing to start. He is a player with a lot of potential.”
A Buxton spokesman added: “Great credit is due to manager Martin McIntosh and his assistant, Tim Ryan, for the progress made by these players in their time with us.
“Martin has a better record in transferring players to the benefit of the club than any Buxton manager since the time of the late Bob Murphy 30 years ago. These transfers show Buxton to be a club where young players are encouraged, thrive and are helped to build their careers.
“In Danny’s case, he can continue here for the next eight months, learning from Martin and Tim and from the experienced players around him while the team is not weakened in the hunt for honours.
“We also know that eventually Danny will be moving to a good club with a fine manager who will help him to develop further, just as he did for Marc Roberts.”
This isn’t the first time Aspin has signed a young, promising defender from Buxton. While at FC Halifax Town, he signed Marc Roberts, with the centre-half later earning a move to Barnsley.
