'Lucky charm' Steven Defour back for a visit to Burnley ahead of Manchester United clash

The mercurial Belgian midfielder - whose stunning free kick against United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day 2017 remains a glorious memory - is at the club as part of his studies for his Continued Professional Development to enhance his coaching, and to see a few old faces.

Defour arrived from Anderlecht in the summer of 2016, for a then record fee of around £7.5m, and made 58 appearances, scoring three goals, before returning home to Royal Antwerp in September 2019.

However, he would retire in 2021 after only 12 appearances with Antwerp and two more with Mechelen, where it all started for the former Porto ace.

Sean Dyche broke off from his pre-match press conference to say: "Stevie Defour's here, he's here for a few days with us."

Asked whether he has brought his boots, Dyche added: "He has got his boots! I did ask him, he said his calves are a bit stiff!"

Defour's free kick left David De Gea clutching at thin air four and a bit years ago, putting Burnley 2-0 up in a game they went on to draw 2-2 - in a season where they finished seventh, qualifying for the Europa League.

And asked whether he was on standby for free kicks against United, Dyche laughed: "That's why we've brought him in, get the lucky charm in!"

"One of the best free kicks I've seen, without a shadow of a doubt."