YORK City manager Martin Gray has admitted that teenage winger Vinnie Steels’ free transfer move to Premier League Burnley has left a “bitter taste” in his mouth.

The Clarets have swooped for Steels little more than a week before the left-winger was due to pen professional terms at Bootham Crescent on his 17th birthday.

National League North rules dictate that players cannot be contracted full-time to clubs before that age, meaning the Turf Moor team were free to acquire Steels’ signature without shelling out a fee.

With the Minstermen having also withdrawn from the EPPP system due to funding issues, there is no longer any protection in place either for financial compensation when U17 players are lured away from the club.

Steels became City’s fourth-youngest, first-team player of all time when he made his debut against Nuneaton in April.

That proved the first of four outings – three from the bench – as the Hartlepool-born attacker ended the campaign as the winner of The Press’ final Player of the Month award for 2017/18.

His form in pre-season also appears to have alerted suitors from the highest level of the game, who will have been aware of the potential to secure Steels’ services without paying a penny. City, themselves, brought Steels to Bootham Crescent on the same basis in February from Gray’s previous club Darlington, where the former Sunderland midfielder had worked with him since the age of nine.

Expressing his opinion on the nature of the move, Gray said: “Nobody’s more happier for Vinnie than me because he’s going to get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working in a Premier League environment to push his game on, which everybody wants when they start out as a footballer.

“But I’m very disappointed by the timing of it, and the way in which the deal has been manufactured was very poor on the parts of various people. That side of things could have been done a lot, lot better and it’s left a bitter taste in my mouth, because everybody knew what they were doing.

“It’s not been conducted in the right way, but I’m a big believer in what goes around, comes around.”

Gray has admitted that Steels would have been in contention for regular senior selection with City this season – something he is unlikely to encounter at Burnley during 2018/19.

But the Stockton-born, 46-year-old did not venture which environment would be best for the youngster’s long-term development.

“He was pushing for our starting XI this season – he really was,” Gray stressed. “I think he’s enjoyed working around our senior players and that’s improved him massively as a footballer.

“He might not get that exposure at Burnley but, equally, he will be working with some talented youth team and under-23 players, which could help him progress again.”

While top-flight opportunity might not come knocking immediately, Gray also believes Steels has the armoury to become successful at his new side, adding: “I’ve had him from nine-years-old, so I’ve spent a lot of time with him.

“Time will tell what he goes on to achieve, but he has all the attributes to make himself a special player in the Premier League. His pace is phenomenal and he has a goal and a good delivery in him.

“He has so much going for him and benefits from somebody putting an arm around him and telling him how special he is, which I’m sure the Burnley coaches will do. He can then produce some outstanding performances and we’ve been seeing what he’s capable of in pre-season and on the training ground.”

Making his own statement on Twitter following his Lancashire switch, Steels said: “I am so thankful to everybody at York City - Dave Penney, the players, Buster (physio Ian Gallagher) and especially Martin Gray who believed in me when others didn’t. He signed me at Darlington and then York and gave me my first-team debut at 16.

“I will forever be grateful to him. I really hope that a great group of lads and a fantastic football club can get promoted this season as they deserve it and so do the fans.

“Now it’s time for a new adventure and my target is to be involved with the first team at Burnley as soon as possible. I had lots of options of clubs to join in the Premier League and the Championship, but I chose Burnley as I know that, if I work hard and improve every day, I will be given my chance.”

Gray watched Saturday’s opening day opponents Chorley’s 2-1 home defeat to Fleetwood last night in their final pre-season friendly.

He will also run the rule over a City youth/reserve team at Billingham Town tonight, which will see Tom Allan continue his return from a knee injury, with first-year professionals Harry Thompson and Josh Rogerson due to feature too.