BURNLEY have snapped up promotion-winning Bury defender Ryan Cooney.

The 19-year-old has signed a one-year contract at Turf Moor with the option of a further 12 months and will initially link up with Steve Stone’s Under-23s squad.

Cooney made 29 first-team appearances for the Shakers including nine in League Two last season as the Gigg Lane club defied serious financial problems to make an immediate return to League One.

“Playing in the first-team has been good experience and the way we went about it to get promotion, we didn’t let anything affect us,” he said.

“As a group we knew we were good enough to get where we wanted to and we achieved it.

“It’s tough to leave Bury in some ways, to say that I’ve been there since the age of nine.

“But I think now is the time to move on elsewhere and come to a good club like Burnley.

“This is a Premier League club and that’s where you want to be.

“It’s a great opportunity with everything there is here. I need to focus back on the Under-23s, rather than the first team, and carry on, work hard and keep improving myself.

“I’m looking forward to getting up to match sharpness and then it’s time to crack on and see what I can do.”

Cooney, a right-sided defender or wing-back capable of playing across the back four, came through the youth ranks at Gigg Lane before signing a first professional contract with Bury in October, 2018.

His first-team debut came in August, 2017 and he went on to make 14 appearances in the 2017/18 campaign.

Cooney then played 15 times at first-team level last season, six games coming in the Checkatrade Trophy to help the Shakers reach the semi-finals.

He is the second new arrival for the Clarets’ Under-23s after the signing of full back Joel Senior from Curzon Ashton.