Cambridge United have today added former Hull City and England youth international goalkeeper Callum Burton to the first team squad ahead of the 2019/20 season.
The 22-year old shot stopper has committed his future to the Abbey Stadium until the end of 2020/21 campaign, and strengthens the competition for the U’s number one shirt alongside Dimitar Mitov and Finley Iron.
Burton began his career at Shrewsbury Town where he signed his first professional contract in 2013, and went on to build experience as a youngster in senior football through a series of loan spells. His early potential also saw him represent England at U16, U17 and U18 level, where he made nine appearances for the national team.
In July 2017 Burton signed for Championship Club Hull City and whilst he did not feature for the Tigers during his time in East Yorkshire, he did feature on loan in the National League North for Salford City and 19 times last season for Chesterfield in the National League.
He arrives at the Abbey Stadium hungry to increase his tally of minutes in the Football League and ensures the U’s have a healthy battle going into the 2019/20 season, between a young, athletic pair of goalkeepers.
Pleased to have Burton on board, Head Coach Colin Calderwood also explains how he put trust in Goalkeeper Coach Kevin Pilkington’s expertise in recruiting the U’s new man.
He commented: “We wanted to bring a goalkeeper in to challenge Dimitar Mitov and to make it a real competition for the first game of the season.
“We tasked Kevin Pilkington (Goalkeeper Coach) with the job of bringing in the person that has all the right qualities that we require, because he really has the expertise in this particular area. It’s an interesting position in that it’s a single person position and there is no changing in tactical formation from game to game. The group has to be well-balanced and competitive across every position though.
“I believe Dimi has enough experience of League football to handle the level and whilst Callum may not currently have the number of games that he would have ideally wanted by this stage in his career, he comes into an environment that if he performs well in then he will be given opportunities in the first team.
“So we are pleased to welcome him into the group and look forward to the competition.”
Meanwhile Head of Football Ben Strang added: “Callum has good pedigree and has been well thought of at each of his former clubs.
“He is a driven and committed character and is keen to prove himself as a Football League goalkeeper. We considered a number of options for the position and are pleased with the competition now in this area.”
A full interview with Cambridge United Goalkeeper Coach Kevin Pilkington will be available on iFollow shortly.
Callum Burton joins Luke Hannant, Harvey Knibbs and Kyle Knoyle to have signed up for the Next Chapter at the Abbey Stadium so far this summer. To secure your place too, click here to find out more about 2019/20 season tickets.