Bristol Rovers boss Ben Garner believes young goalkeeper Liam Armstrong deserves another chance to prove himself after suffering a serious injury at the start of the year.
The club announced on Tuesday the 20-year-old has signed a new contract with the Gas.
Armstrong has spent plenty of time away from the Mem, honing his craft on loan in non-league.
He made more than 50 appearances in for Southern League side Tiverton Town in 2018/19, winning the young player of the year award in the process.
He also impressed on a loan spell with Salisbury last season, but in January he suffered a long-term injury in training and is still rehabilitating.
Garner believes it is right for the club to support the keeper’s recovery and give him a chance to prove he can make the grade with the Pirates.
"We are pleased that Liam has signed a new deal,” Garner told the club’s website.
"He's another player that has risen through our academy system and we want to try to provide pathways for our own players that we develop.
"Unfortunately Liam suffered an injury setback shortly after I arrived at the club, in what would have been a crucial time for him to impress to earn a new contract.
"We felt that is was only right to offer him the support to recover fully and to prove his potential once back to full fitness.”
Rovers have rewarded several young players with new deals this summer, with Kieran Phillips, Ollie Hulbert and Zain Walker's first professional contracts commencing on July 1.
The 20-year-old is part of a solid corps of keepers at the club, with Anssi Jaakkola, Jordi van Stappershoef and Alexis Andre Jr on the books.
Rovers’ goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker added: “Liam was unfortunate to pick up a serious contact injury in training on the turn of the year and considering his progress previously, including a successful loan spell at Salisbury, he deserved the opportunity to prove his well-being."
