THREE youth players at Tranmere Rovers have signed their first one-year professional contracts with the club.

Winger George Nugent, defender Kyle Hayde and forward Jake Burton made their first team debuts for Rovers last season as well as featuring regularly for our U18s.

In a statement on the club's youth team manager Andy Parkinson said he was pleased to see the three scholars progress onto professional terms.

He added: "Congratulations to them, they have done really well to get to this stage in their development.

"This is where the task of their player development becomes more difficult in making the step up to the professional ranks.

"I think it is credit to the football club and the chairman, given the current climate, that we are still able to offer first professional contracts.

"Lots of other clubs aren't doing that at this stage with obviously the financial impact of COVID-19 so I think it is a statement from the Football Club in terms of developing our own players.

"The three lads have all trained with the first team last season and have experienced that environment which is an advantage of having The Campus as a training facility where the youth team and first team train so close together which helps with continuity."