KEVIN McDonald has been told by manager Brian Laws that he has a future at Turf Moor, if he wants it.

But the Clarets midfielder is set for a spell away from the club first.

Laws has made the young Scot available for loan, after being restricted to 23 Carling Cup minutes this season and just two other appearances in the 18-man matchday squad, and expects a deal to be completed next week.

Although McDonald, who came off the bench to score in his only outing at Morecambe, made 90 league appearances for Dundee before signing for Burnley in the summer of 2008, it is likely the Scotland Under 21 international will be heading to an English Football League club rather than returning north of the border.

And Laws admitted he would not be scared to send him to a Championship rival for at least a month, although he is wary of a fellow promotion candidate benefiting from the 21-year-old’s services.

“Kevin’s a talented player and we’re mindful of where we feel he should be plying his trade,” said the Clarets boss.

“We want him to get games, but the quality of games has to be good, and the team ethos and how they play is important.

“That reduces the options, but he’s good enough for the Championship, and that’s maybe the area we should be looking at, although we don’t want to help our competitors.

“North of the border, the problem is there’s only an opport-unity for a minimum three-month loan, and I couldn’t recall him, so I’ll keep him in England if possible.”

He added: “We’ve had one or two enquiries, but nobody has really stepped forward just yet. I expect some movement maybe next week.

“Clubs will start to look to bring in players, because they don’t want to pay their wages if there are no games being played.”

“He’s a young player, and if he gets his development right, there’s a player to be had, and we want him at Burnley Football Club.

“But he’s got to decide his future, it’s down to him.”