BURNLEY are down to just EIGHT professional players after the club confirmed they are unable to offer new terms to six out-of-contract stars.

Plans to release the traditional end-of-season retained list have been thrown into chaos by the decision not to offer manager Stan Ternent a new deal next season.

And with no new manager in place to make key decisions on players' contracts, defenders David May, Dean West and Mark McGregor, long-serving midfielder Paul Weller and youngsters Joel Pilkington and Matt O'Neill now find their careers in limbo.

All six were today informed they cannot be offered terms due to the managerial vacancy, which will result in their names being distributed to all other Football League clubs.

And that means that, with Glen Little and Alan Moore leaving Turf Moor, only Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Mo Camara, Graham Branch, Tony Grant, Richard Chaplow, Robbie Blake and Ian Moore still have professional contracts at Burnley.

Clarets chairman Barry Kilby had said he would take Ternent's advice when compiling the retained list.

But the logistics of asking a departing manager to have a say in the future of the club was always likely to pose problems.

And Kilby has therefore been forced to pursue the only other avenue available to him.

He said: "I have players out of contract and at the moment I've had to put things on hold and the players concerned are going to have to live with that.

"I have communicated that to the players and told them we have to wait until the new guy is in place to decide. It seems the only sensible way to do it."

The news is sure to come as a shock to all six, who are now able to formally open negotiations with any interested party - although Burnley could still compete to offer them terms if the incoming manager sees them as part of his plans.

Meanwhile, Burnley are no nearer to announcing a successor to Ternent, who was today granted a testimonial by the Clarets.

Kilby confirmed that no manager has yet been approached as a shortlist is still being drawn up ahead of the first round of interviews.

He said: "We are still collating what we have in after a board meeting and we know we need to move as quickly as we can, for everybody's sake.

"I am afraid I am going to be guarded, but everything will unravel over the next few weeks.

"I don't even think we will name a shortlist. There will be face-to-face meetings with a number of candidates and we will whittle that list down to two or three before making a final decision.

"That is the way we are going to do this. I have decided."