PAUL Weller has joined the Burnley old boys club at York City in preparation for the new season.

Weller is one of four players released from Turf Moor this summer still looking to get fixed up with a new contract elsewhere.

The long-serving midfielder has several options open to him - including Minstermen manager and former Clarets defender Chris Brass's open offer to sign on at Bootham Crescent.

Brass has already lured Burnley legend Steve Davis to York in a playing and coaching capacity following their slide into the Nationwide Conference last season.

And while he weighs up the offers from several loftier clubs after severing ties with Burnley, Weller has been happy to accept Brass's initial invitation to keep his fitness levels topped up.

He said: "Chris has been great and I've been happy to keep ticking over at York.

"I'm still not sure what is going to happen though. There are a few offers to look at, but teams seem to want you on trial these days and at my age and with my experience, I feel that that shouldn't be the case.

"But there are so many footballers looking for work now, you have to seriously consider any options that come along, so we'll see what happens now that July is almost here."

Meanwhile, as Burnley's first team gear up for the start of pre-season training tomorrow, many of the club's youngsters have already reported back for duty.

And four familiar faces yesterday joined the ranks of apprentices after signing two-year deals.

Sixteen-year-olds Nicky Platt, Cayne Hanley, Rob Henry and Mark Crossley all confirmed their places in the squad for the forthcoming campaign by signing the necessary paperwork at Turf Moor.

All four were heavily involved in the Clarets run in the Lancashire FA Youth Cup, which saw them lose out in the final to Oldham Athletic at Turf Moor.

But with new Clarets first team boss Steve Cotterill already signalling his intent to overhaul the youth set up at Burnley, the quartet will hope to follow in the footsteps of several other youngsters who are slowly helping to resurrect a policy that was once envied across the land.

Midfield marvel Richard Chaplow's startling emergence last season was, for many Clarets fans the highlight of a dismal campaign.

Fellow teenagers Matt O'Neill, Paul Scott and Joel Pilkington, who have all signed new, one-year deals, also featured briefly in the first team towards the end of the season along with promising young defender Ryan Townsend.

And with Cotterill ready to go into his debut season as Clarets boss with the bare bones of a squad, that surely opens the door to anyone who shines at a lower level.