JAY Rodriguez is loving life at Burnley so much that he would welcome the chance to see out his career at Turf Moor.

The striker returned to his hometown club from West Brom last summer and is closing in on a year since putting pen to paper with the Clarets.

Having had to wait his turn initially with Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes being Sean Dyche's preferred options up front, the 30-year-old has made his mark back in East Lancashire.

Rodriguez has scored eight goals in all competitions and featured in 28 of Burnley's 29 Premier League games before the coronavirus pandemic put the season on hold back in March.

The frontman initially signed a two-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months, when arriving for a deal that could be worth £10million.

But it is clear that he is in it for the long haul having come back home to the delight of Clarets supporters.

"Yeah of course," he said when asked about the possibility of seeing out his career at Turf Moor.

"You take it as it comes and every season is different but for me I am back home around my family and friends and that is probably one of the comforts I have missed when being away from home.

"I love coming into training, working hard and getting things out of training to keep improving as a player and keep learning from the manager and the players that I have been playing with."

Academy product Rodriguez, who initially left the club for Southampton in a £7m deal in 2012 having scored 41 goals in 129 appearances, admits the club has been transformed from the one he left seven years earlier when swapping the Championship for the top flight.

Made to feel welcome from day one, he has given Sean Dyche plenty to think about in the final third, a dilemma the Clarets boss will have to ponder heading into the final nine games.

"I have really enjoyed it," said Rodriguez, who has made 12 Premier League starts this season.

"It is a great team to come into and the lads have made me feel welcome from the start.

"To see how the club has changed and moved forward has been brilliant and it has been really good to be a part of.

"I have learnt a lot this season and we still have nine games left so a lot to improve on what we have done this season.

"I have loved every minute of it."