After opting to draft in Vincent Kompany as Sean Dyche's permanent successor earlier this year, Burnley engaged in a great deal of transfer business over the course of the summer window.

As well as securing the services of a plethora of players, the Clarets also sanctioned a host of departures.

One of the individuals who made a temporary exit from Turf Moor was Bobby Thomas.

Signed on a season-long loan deal by Bristol Rovers on deadline day, it was always going to be intriguing to see how the defender would fare during the opening months of the season.

Here, we have decided to take a look at how Thomas has been getting on at the Memorial Stadium and assess whether he has a future at Burnley...

With Burnley opting to bolster their options in the heart of defence by signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jordan Beyer, CJ Egan-Riley and Luke McNally, letting Thomas leave on loan was a wise call as his game-time would have been limited if he had stayed at the club.

Thomas made his league debut for the Gas in their showdown with Morecambe.

Whereas the 21-year-old was unable to help his side keep a clean-sheet in this fixture, he did manage to find the back of the net as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

The defender was then dismissed in the latter stages of Rovers' defeat to Ipswich Town as he was shown two yellow cards in the space of four minutes.

After serving his suspension, Thomas returned to the side for their meeting with Accrington Stanley.

The defender has started 10 consecutive league games for Rovers and scored in their clashes with Cheltenham Town and Derby County.

Earlier this month, Thomas helped the Gas secure a 1-0 victory over Peterborough United by winning five aerial duels and making two clearances (as per WhoScored).

Currently averaging a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.90 in the third-tier, Thomas is clearly making strides in terms of his development away from Burnley and thus the Championship side's decision to loan him out was a wise move.

If he can continue to improve as a player, there is no reason why Thomas cannot eventually force his way into contention for a place in Burnley's side.

With his current contract set to run until 2024, the defender will be hoping to achieve a breakthrough at senior level for the Clarets next season.