Defour is being allowed to return to Belgium to continue his career after reaching a mutual agreement to terminate the remaining 10 months of his contract.

And while injuries limited the midfield play-maker to 58 appearances in his three years as a Claret, he leaves as a firm Burnley favourite.

“I just want to say I’m honoured to have played for Burnley Football Club,” said Defour, who was the Clarets’ then-record signing when he joined the club from Anderlecht in August, 2016.

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“I want to thank the gaffer and his staff and the medical staff for taking care of me.

“I wish I could have shown more on the pitch, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. I wanted to show more, because the support was really fantastic.

“You don’t really want it to end because you want to give something back for all the support I have been given. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to.

“But I’m very honoured I’ve played for Burnley and that I’ve grown with this club and we made progress together.

“I hope they will remember me as a player when he was on the pitch he gave his all and tried to give some joy to the fans.

“I enjoyed every second of playing for Burnley and I will always be a fan of Burnley Football Club.”

Defour helped the Clarets gain a foothold in the Premier League in his first season at the club.

And the former Belgium international, capped 52 times by his country, then enjoyed his best spell as a Burnley player during the 2017/18 season as Sean Dyche’s side finished seventh in the table to qualify for Europe.

Defour started 24 top-flight games during that campaign as one of the catalysts for the Clarets’ success before a knee injury towards the end of January, 2018 curtailed his season.

The 31-year-old suffered a complication on his return due to a calf problem that restricted him to six Premier League appearances and three cup games last season.

A calf injury has again disrupted his preparation for the current campaign, but after working hard with the Clarets’ sports science staff to get back to full fitness, the 31-year-old hopes to extend his playing career back in his native country.

“It’s been a really hard last year and a half,” Defour added.

“Unfortunately, I had some severe injuries I was trying to come back from and it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to.

“There are lots of frustrations as well because I really wanted to give something back to the fans for their support.

“But I think this is the best solution for everyone. On a personal note it’s good for me to go back to Belgium.”

POS	Team	PL	PTS
15	FOR	5	5
16	BUR	5	4
17	BRE	5	4

POS	Team	PL	PTS
15	FOR	5	5
16	BUR	5	4
17	BRE	5	4

Premier League table

Premier League table