Nolan can't guarantee that Burge will be number one as Cobblers open talks to sign new goalkeeper

When fit, Burge has almost always been Town’s first-choice between the posts across his three seasons at the club, both under previous boss Jon Brady and now Nolan, and he’ll be at Sixfields again next year after triggering an appearance-related, 12-month option in his contract.

However, after releasing Nik Tzanev this week, Nolan is on the hunt for a new goalkeeper. That could either be a young loanee or a more experienced permanent signing, and it is too early to say whether they’ll come in to replace Burge or support him.

"Burgey did tremendously well for me but I still feel there's a lot of work he could do to make himself better," said Nolan on the Cobblers Show. “I think he's 32 and he's a good pro and a good lad but I want someone to come in and really push him.

"We've got a number of targets and we're speaking to a number of goalkeepers at the moment to see what works for us and that's something I'll be speaking to Burgey about when we join up again for pre-season.

"I'll explain to him how I see it and I'll be honest with him because I've got to see what targets are out there at this moment in time, whether that's a free transfer or a younger one who's a loan, and then we’ll see whether that person is a number one or a number two who will push Burgey.

"I must mention Nik as well because he did a terrific job for us and he was excellent when he played, but I felt he probably wanted to go and be a number one somewhere else and I wish him all the best with that.”