Wednesday 14 September 2016 18:24, UK
Burnley's record signing Steven Defour has opened up about his heartbreak at failing to seal a move to Manchester United when injury prevented him from joining Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
The Belgium international joined the newly-promoted Clarets from Anderlecht for £8m in August, having previously been eyed by a number of Premier League clubs including United.
Former Old Trafford boss Ferguson wrote a letter to Defour back in 2009, in which he wished the player a speedy recovery from a broken bone in his foot and also promised to keep track of his progress.
Although rumours of a switch to England persisted, a move to Manchester did not materialise and Defour has admitted the injury and missed opportunity was difficult to take.
Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, he said: "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.
"It was difficult to find my form before my injury to have the level of a club like Manchester United."
As well as injury woes, Defour has experienced lows of a different kind during his career as a footballer.
Having captained Belgian side Standard Liege, making 127 appearances and scoring 13 goals, he later joined bitter rivals Anderlecht in a move which caused outrage among the Liege supporters.
During a derby game, fans displayed a banner of his decapitated head alongside the words, 'Red or Dead', and he went on to receive a red card.
Recalling the incident, Defour said: "I saw the picture but I didn't get any more thoughts of it. The whole atmosphere was really violent and the referee didn't have the game under control. The other team were really aggressive too. Of my team, they were a bit worried about their security.
"When talking to the referee before the game, I said we have to watch out because this is a game that could easily get out of hand and for me it got out of hand - he didn't have the game under control. I had to go."
But for the 28-year-old, those experiences are in the past, having realised his ambition of playing in England's top flight, scoring a spectacular solo strike in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Hull.
And Defour believes he is the man to help secure Premier League survival for his team, adding: "I just want to show my quality to help Burnley and to stay in the Premier League.
"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."
The Belgian, who says he is still adjusting to life in the Premier League, said: "I need to adapt a little bit to the standards of the club and of the Premier League, but I'm getting stronger every week.
"The game never stops, there is no pausing.
"The first game we won against Liverpool and it's a league where everyone can win and everyone can lose. We just have to get the necessary points to stay in the league."
Defour joins a string of Belgium internationals in the Premier League, but singled out Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for special praise.
"He [De Bruyne] has a way of thinking and the feet can do what his head is thinking - that is the most impressive," Defour said. "He's not really a fast player but with the way he plays he's fast.
"When he scored the goal against Manchester United, he was thinking faster than the defenders of Manchester United and that's his way of playing."
