Former Anderlecht midfielder and Burnley’s club record signing Steven Defour has finally opened up about his failure to secure a switch to Manchester United way back in 2009. Defour has had an injury-ravaged past, and one injury, in particular, caused him to be overlooked by the Red Devils.
Attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, Defour was poised for a move to Old Trafford before a broken bone in his foot scuppered his plans. Sir Alex Ferguson, then United manager, had written him a letter wishing him a speedy recovery and promising to track his progress but after nothing materialised, Defour was left broken hearted.
In an interview with Sky recently, Defour opened up about the failed move, stating, "Before my injury it [a United move] was one of the possibilities, because I knew they were following me but then came that severe injury and that was quite a hard one from me.”
“It was an open fracture of my foot and I was really down because, for the first time, I could have played in the Champions League and then three days before I broke my foot so I was really down,” he went on to add.
"It was difficult to find my form before my injury to have the level of a club like Manchester United."
Injuries weren’t the only thing Defour has had to deal with in his turbulent past. As captain of Belgian side Standard Liege, the midfielder was a fan favourite at the club, but then a switch to rivals Anderlecht saw him receive death threats from the very same fans that had adored him previously.
During a derby game, banners of his decapitated head were displayed by the fans which said, 'Red or Dead'. He subsequently went on to receive a red card.
The 28-year-old though feels that such incidents are a part of his past and that he has now moved on. His dream of playing in the top flight of English football was fulfilled when he joined Burnley for a club record £8m earlier this season.
Defour, who has already established himself as a starter for the Clarets, scored his first goal for them in a 1-1 draw against Hull City and has promised to give his all for the Lancashire based club. "I just want to show my quality to help Burnley and to stay in the Premier League,” he said.
"He [Burnley boss Sean Dyche] asked me to get the ball, to take my responsibility and get the team playing. It's really a group, it's really a team. It's a team that really fits together and everybody is working for everybody," he added.
Burnley, who have had a decent start to this year’s Premier League campaign, travel to Leicester on Saturday for a clash against the champions.
