AS the door closes on Micah Hyde's Clarets career, Chris McCann is being urged to become the new midfield maestro at Turf Moor.

The 19-year-old has made a steady progression since transforming from Burnley scholar to senior squad player in the summer of 2005, being named the young player of the year at the end of that season.

But Clarets assistant manager Dave Kevan believes the time has come for the Dubliner to take his career onto the next level.

"Now Micah's left us to join Peterborough it gives someone else an opportunity, and you have to say the first person to have the major opportunity would be Chris McCann," he said.

"But John Spicer will certainly come into the reckoning, Garreth O'Connor and of course Alan Mahon, so we're not too badly off for the left side of midfield.

"It's up to one of those people to claim their place and nail it down."

Hot favourite for a central midfield role alongside James O'Connor, though, is McCann. The teenager has made 23 appearances in all competitions for the Clarets this season, including 16 starts, and has hit two goals, scoring the winner against Ipswich and the first in a 2-1 defeat at home to Birmingham - both in November.

"At the moment Chris would certainly be the first option there for us, and he is a player that, with games, will get better," Kevan continued.

"He's the right age for us and he is the type of player that we want to be improving and working on. And if he can get as many games under his belt in the Championship as he can then it will stand him in good stead for his future career.

"Chris has done very well for us. Wherever we've asked him to play he has performed very well, but we feel as though central midfield may arguably be his best position.

"Time will tell on that, but he has done a fantastic job for us and it will probably help the lad knowing he has a settled role and a settled position, and that will give him more of an opportunity to bed himself down."

McCann was among the players who made two trips to Reading in just four days after Saturday's initial washout at the Madejski Stadium, but Kevan is confident that neither he nor the rest of the squad will suffer any side effects as they face another long trek down the M6 to Southampton tomorrow.

And having been heartened by the Clarets' fightback against the Royals in Tuesday's FA Cup third round exit, the assistant boss is confident it is only a matter of time before they turn a corner in the league and end a run of just one win in 10 games.

"The pleasing thing is we're still creating chances. Should we take more of the opportunities that we've created then I'm sure the results will follow. Obviously we need to tighten things up at the back," Kevan added.