Burnley manager Scott Parker is backing set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse to break Sir David Beckham’s Premier League record for goals scored directly from free kicks after signing the midfielder on loan for the rest of the campaign.

Ward-Prowse, 31, has scored 17 top-flight free kicks, one short of the former England captain, and can now resume his chase after escaping his West Ham purgatory — having not played for the Hammers at all since Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Graham Potter in late September.

“Let’s hope he breaks that!” Parker said when told of the record. “I think we’ve seen it over many, many years — in and around the edge of the box, his delivery from wide areas, corners as well, it’s an absolutely huge, huge threat.

“His quality in and around the edge of the box, to get a ball up and down at speed, to beat keepers, it’s probably world class really in terms of the set piece. Hopefully he can break that record with us because it would mean one has gone in!”

Parker described Ward-Prowse as an “absolute expert” at set pieces, something that can be key to keeping alive Burnley’s survival hopes given the rise in emphasis on dead-ball situations in recent months.

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“I think it would be really unfair of me to only compliment James’s ability to take set-plays,” Parker said. “He brings an all-round game. But for sure he will give us an added something in that area where it’s clear that over the last 18 months, that side of the game has gone up 10-fold really.”

Ward-Prowse trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Thursday but, given he has not played competitively since Sept. 20, Parker said he must still assess how big of a role he can play in Monday’s trip to Sunderland.

“He’s an incredible professional who in every test he’s done with us since he’s come in has been right up there,” Parker said. “But match speed and match tempo might be something that is missing.”