Defour and Gudmundsson declared fit for Burnley's televised clash with Newcastle

Steven Defour has shrugged off the knee issue which forced him off at Leicester City.
Steven DefourSteven Defour
Steven Defour

In only his fourth Premier League start since returning after a knee operation at the end of January, Defour fell awkwardly at the King Power Stadium a fortnight ago, and was instantly substituted.

But the international break has allowed the problem to settle down, and boss Sean Dyche said: “Steven came off at Leicester, with a mild twist to his knee, and he’s made really good progress and we’re expecting him to be fine.”

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Johann Berg Gudmundsson has also profited from the break, withdrawing from international duty with Iceland with an ongoing calf problem, and he will be available to face Newcastle United at Turf Moor on Monday night.

Centre back Ben Gibson is also close to a return after a second hernia operation three weeks ago: “Ben is over the worst of his hernia, he’ll join in with the development squad this week in a game, hopefully on Saturday.

“He’s has a really good week’s training, he’s a super fit pro anyway and he’s looked after himself f or sure, so we’re looking forward to having him back, and I’m sure he’s looking forward to being back after an interrupted start to his Burnley career.”

James Tarkowski also had a second hernia operation two weeks ago, and Dyche added: “He’s going nicely on the grass, he’s not quite with us yet, and Monday will probably come too early for him.

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“But he’s making good progress, and slightly behind that, Stephen Ward is going well, and Nick Pope is back on the grass with our goalkeeping coach, making good progress, so we’re beginning to show strong signs of numbers coming back our way.”