Defour uncertain what future holds for him

Clarets midfielder Steven Defour admits there is nothing in speculation linking him with a move to Chinese Super League.
Burnley's Steven Defour celebrates scoring his sides second goal with teammate Scott Arfield

Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport

Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round - Burnley v Bristol City - Saturday 28th January 2017 - Turf Moor - Burnley
 
World Copyright © 2017 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.comBurnley's Steven Defour celebrates scoring his sides second goal with teammate Scott Arfield

Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport

Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round - Burnley v Bristol City - Saturday 28th January 2017 - Turf Moor - Burnley
 
World Copyright © 2017 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.com
Burnley's Steven Defour celebrates scoring his sides second goal with teammate Scott Arfield Photographer Alex Dodd/CameraSport Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round - Burnley v Bristol City - Saturday 28th January 2017 - Turf Moor - Burnley World Copyright © 2017 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - [email protected] - www.camerasport.com

But he is realistic enough to accept that he can’t commit his long-term future to Burnley if there was to be an offer from a CSL or Premier League club which would benefit both the Clarets and himself.

At the turn of the year, Defour’s agent Paul Stefani, asked if his client would be open to a move to China, said: “Why not?

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“If you play for three seasons there, you never need to work again.

“It’s a magnificent experience. There are stars and interest is growing.”

But after his wonder goal helped earn a place in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, Defour, asked about his long-term future at Turf Moor, said: “I don’t know. I can’t say I’m staying here forever and then there is a big opportunity, if it’s in China or elsewhere or even in England. If there’s a big proposal somewhere which would be good for the club and for me, then we should think about it. “At this moment, there’s nothing on it.”

Meanwhile, Defour was delighted with his second goal for the club – a sublime chip – to help see off Bristol City: “It felt pretty good. When I made the control, I saw the goalkeeper a bit out of his goal so I thought why not?

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“This is a pretty nice goal. I scored some nice goals but this one was really nicely done.”

Defour also laid on the opener for Sam Vokes, and he also enjoyed the assist: “I take a lot of pleasure, it’s the same as scoring a goal for me.”

Defour has recently beeen restored to the starting line-up as he adapted to the physical demands of the Premier League, and he said: “It was a difficult time but, okay, there are just some things that you’ve got to get through.

“If I’m on the field I just want to play football, that’s the main thing.”

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Defour revealed Burnley’s training regime is as rigourous as anything he has experienced in his career: “The training is good. I trained in similar ways in Porto also.

“The level is good. The intensity is (similar to Porto). When we play those little games or we’re playing a game (in training), it’s like we’re playing the weekend game.”

But the physicality of English football hasn’t been a surprise: “Here it never stops. It goes on and on. It’s just a different style of play actually. I felt pretty good in the beginning. For me it was just a matter of time and playing games.

“It didn’t really surprise me. It was just I needed to adapt to the style of play of Burnley because in every team I played we had always the possession. There were lots of moments we could trust by just keeping the ball. In Burnley you don’t have those moments.

“That was the main thing I needed to improve and I did it.”

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Defour has been pleased with the way the side have climbed the table, 10 points clear of the bottom three, and now in the last 16 of the FA Cup, but he isn’t getting carried away: “We just need to work like we do, not get ahead of ourselves, just look at it game by game and then we will see. We have had a great run at home, we can improve away, we had some good performances and bad luck to get some points. We’re improving and that’s the way it’s got to be.”