- Young defender Reece Burke looks ahead to the UEFA Europa League second leg against Astra Giurgiu
- He wants another chance to impress in the competition
- A loan move could be forthcoming soon for the 19-year-old who recently signed a new contract
West Ham United defender Reece Burke is hoping to get the chance to impress again in the UEFA Europa League against Astra Giurgiu on Thursday.
The Hammers take on their Romanian opponents in the second leg of the competition’s play-off round at London Stadium with the tie level at 1-1.
And Burke, who played the first clash in its entirety, is keen to line up in Slaven Bilic’s starting XI once again.
“I hope to be involved against Astra as I did well in the first leg even though I was playing left-back,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get some more game time.
“I quite enjoyed playing at left-back to be fair, and it’s always good to play in different positions. If the gaffer asks me to do a job there, I’ll be more than happy to.
“It’s 100 per cent important that we progress and get through to the group stage. We of course want to do better than we did in the competition last year.
“If I’m still at the Club and not on loan, the Europa League fixtures are a chance for me to get more appearances. It’s not guaranteed that we’re through though, so we have work to do in the second leg.”
The 19-year-old signed a new four-year deal at the Club this week, but his future may lie elsewhere during the current campaign.
The centre-back has hinted at a potential loan move and revealed he has held talks with boss Bilic.
“I’m delighted to sign for the Club I support and obviously it’s a long-term deal. It gives me more time to progress and get into the first team.
“I spoke with the gaffer, and if I’m not playing here, I want to be playing somewhere else. The Championship would be ideal, because I obviously did do well in League One.
“The gaffer did say he wanted me to stay to begin with, but there have been a few games where I’d have liked to be involved and I haven’t been. The more experience you get the better player you become.”