ASHLEY Barnes said he's 'privileged' to be a part of Burnley's ongoing success after signing a new deal at Turf Moor.

The striker has penned a contract that runs until the summer of 2021, having had just over a year remaining on his existing deal.

That takes the number of players to have agreed fresh terms at Burnley this season to five, following on from Republic of Ireland duo Stephen Ward and Kevin Long and the Clarets' latest England pair Nick Pope and James Tarkowski.

Barnes has been rewarded for his fine form of recent weeks, with the 28-year-old scoring in three successive Premier League games for the first time in his career.

That has taken his top flight tally with Burnley to 17, making him the club's leading scorer in the Premier League.

Barnes, a £450,000 signing from Brighton in January 2014, believes he is playing some of the best football of his career at the moment, but he warned defences there is still more to come as well.

“I think I am playing some of my best football, but I’ve still got a lot to come,” he said.

“I’m still learning. I learn every day on the training ground. I knuckle down and try to do the right things and keep taking on information from the staff and it’s paying off.

“The club is only going in one direction and that’s up and I’m privileged to be part of it

“Come the end of season who knows where we’ll be and if we can still be where we are now that would be huge credit to all the lads.

“This has capped off a good year, with eight games still to go, and I’m delighted it’s done.”

Barnes run of scoring in three successive games is the first time he has achieved such a feat since doing so for Brighton at the end of the 2010/11 season, when the Seagulls were in League One.

The Bath-born striker has attracted the attention of Austria with his exploits in front of goal, with national team boss Franco Foda watching him in person at the London Stadium last weekend as Barnes set Burnley on their way to a 3-0 win.

Barnes qualifies for Austria through his grandmother but he is currently ineligible to be picked for Foda as he waits on an Austrian passport, having made his sole appearance for their Under-20s in 2008 on a FIFA permit.