“Magic” - Steven Defour namechecked as Burnley FC regret explained | OneFootball

Steven Defour could've gone on to achieve great things with Burnley had he stayed fit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Burnley have had several influential midfielders over the years, but when it comes to natural talent, Steven Defour is someone that is arguably better than the rest.

The Belgian joined the Clarets from Anderlecht in 2016 for a club-record fee at the time, so there was a lot of excitement about his arrival.

And, Defour lived up to that hype, as he would go on to make over 50 appearances for the club over the next few years, which included starring as they reached Europe in the 2017/18 campaign.

Steven Defour's time at Burnley

The midfielder won 52 caps for his country, and he played for Porto in the Champions League, so there was always going to be an expectation of Defour when he arrived at Turf Moor.

He dealt with that pressure well though, with Defour bringing a touch of class to a hardworking Burnley side, but he was also more than willing to put in the hard yards to help the team.

However, even though there will always be appreciation of how Defour performed for the club, there will always be a case of wondering how it could’ve turned out had he not suffered such terrible luck on the injury front.

Defour just couldn’t stay fit for a prolonged period of time, as he played 21, 24 and six times in the Premier League over his three years in England - and it’s no coincidence that the season with the most games was when Burnley finished 7th.

Steven Defour is still appreciated at Burnley

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise that Burnley fan pundit Nathan identified the midfielder as the one player he wished he could’ve seen more of at Turf Moor.

“The obvious answer is Steven Defour.

“He was absolutely dynamite, he was magic with his feet, he controlled games. His footballing brain was another five minutes ahead of everyone else on the pitch - he could see things that hadn’t even happened yet, and the opposition just couldn’t get near.

“He was an unbelievable coup, and Sir Alex Ferguson was even a fan of him, but his injury record - we just couldn’t keep him fit. It was the back end of his career and he retired early.

“He was a wonderful footballer, and I think he accepted that he could’ve had a better career but injuries plagued him.

“A fully-fit, firing Defour for Burnley would’ve been some player for us.”

Steven Defour could’ve had a fantastic career

Many Burnley fans will agree with the assessment above, and the reality is that Defour was a level above many of his teammates in terms of his technique and quality.

That’s not a criticism of the group, as Burnley were a great team at that time, but most of their success was down to the organisation, grit and togetherness instilled by Sean Dyche. In Defour, they had someone who could make a difference on the ball, and had the ability to control the tempo of a game.

So, it’s a real shame that injuries impacted his career, particularly given his age at Burnley, as he was at his peak, and he could’ve gone on to be a fine Premier League player over a lengthy period.