GLOBETROTTING Burnley have taken Dutch international Melchior Schoenmakers on trial at Turf Moor.

The 6ft 3in central defender plays with Dutch First Division club Heerenveen and I understand the 21-year-old stopper is on the market for around £160,000.

Although Schoenmakers-who likes to be known as Mel-will not be allowed to feature in tomorrow's Pontins League fixture against Mansfield Town at Turf Moor, manager Adrian Heath will run the rule over the Dutch import for the next week.

"He comes highly recommended and he's not short of experience either at club level or internationally," said Heath.

"He's played 31 league games for Heerenveen and is obviously a player with a lot of potential. We are going to be monitoring him closely." Schoenmakers, who joined the first team squad at Gawthorpe this morning, was capped 20 times for Holland at under-18 level and 14 times for the under-21 side.

A Dutch contact told me: "He's a strong aggressive central defender with good pace and excellent technical ability.

"He plays for Heerenveen in a flat back four, but has played for the national under-21 team in a defensive midfield role."

Schoenmakers follows in the footsteps of recent triallists Bambo, Torsten Boer, Walter Manda and the two Italian triallists.

Meanwhile, Ian Helliwell is back at Turf Moor following a month's loan at Third Division Mansfield Town.

The striker scored in his final game for the Stags, an excellent 1-1 draw at leaders Carlisle United, on Saturday.

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