Midfielder struggling for fitness after Burnley exit – Starting spot ‘seems far away’

In Sean Dyche’s time at Burnley, it’s fair to say there have been more hits than misses when it comes to transfers.

One that may fall into the latter category, though, is Steven Defour. The midfielder arrived for £7.74m back 2016 but never got going at Turf Moor.

The Belgian was blighted by injuries during his time at the club, limiting him to just 58 appearances in all competitions over three years.

This summer Burnley decided to cut their losses, ripping up Defour’s contract so that he could return to his homeland with Royal Antwerp.

It seems that the former Burnley man is yet to make much of impact at this new club, though, with Het Laatste Nieuws reporting on his situation back home.

The newspaper says Defour is yet to feature for his new club and at this moment in time is training away from the rest of the squad.

A starting role ‘seems far away’ for the former Burnley man at this moment in time with his fitness nowhere near the level required for him to be challenging for a spot.

That won’t come as too much of a shock given his last appearances for Burnley came back on the 26th January in the FA Cup.

On that basis, it’s likely to be some time before Defour is turning out for his new club, they’ll be hoping the problems that ruined his time at Turf Moor haven’t followed him home.