Burnley midfielder Defour just focused on getting back to full fitness

The former Belgium international has effectively lost the last season and a half to injury, with knee surgery putting an end to his 2017/18 campaign in the January, while this season has seen a series of calf niggles, eventually leading to an operation, restrict him to just nine appearances, the last in January again.

All told, he has made just 58 appearances in three seasons since a then-record move from Anderlecht.

Burnley know all too well the quality a fully-fit Defour possesses, but, in his absence, Ashley Westwood has flourished, winning the official Player and Players’ Player of the Year award.

Defour has another year left on his contract - an extra season’s option taken up by the club last summer - and, while he has long suggested he would like to finish his career where it all started, back home at Mechelen, he is only interested in trying to get back to the levels he showed in the first half of the 2017/18 season.

Representative Christian Pala said: “First it is about Steven getting back fit to 100% and then we will see how it goes, he is only busy with getting back fit.

“All will depend of getting back fit - thats the only focus at the moment, it is difficult to give answers, we aren’t discussing that before getting 100%.”