Sean Dyche: Steven Defour injury a 'real blow'

Steven Defour saw a specialist this week

The Belgian international, a stand out performer in the club’s campaign in the Premier League so far, is set to undergo surgery after specialists discovered damage to his cartilage.

Dyche confessed that the 29-year-old had been playing with the affliction for several weeks but a precautionary scan highlighted the issue.

The former Anderlecht man, who had started all 24 games in the top flight, has been ruled out for months which may scupper his dreams of playing in the World Cup in Russia.

“Defour will have to have an operation after seeing a specialist, it’s a real blow,” said Dyche. “It’s come out of the blue, he’d been playing on and felt a soreness in his knee, he played with it for a few weeks.

“We took him for a scan, one of those ones you probably wish you wouldn’t have, and it showed something that needs doing, it’s a bit of cartilage. That’s the way it goes.”

Asked if Defour would feature again this season, Dyche added: “I don’t know yet, we’ll have to wait and see. Unfortunately he’s going to have an operation and be out for some time.

“It’s a problem with his cartilage that the specialist will have to sort out and we’ll wait and see what he says after the operation.

The midfielder had been playing with the injury for the past few games

“Steven was thoroughly enjoying his season and rightly so because he’s been excellent, so we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Transfer Deadline Day passed without so much as a whisper for the Clarets but Dyche stated that it wasn’t through a lack of activity.

The Turf Moor chief had hoped that a number of situations would develop, adding to the captures of Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Aaron Lennon, but it wasn’t to be as the window slammed shut.

“There was a couple of situations we thought might come our way, but the market is tough, we all know that,” said Dyche.

“We are what we are, everyone knows that, we have to run the club in an appropriate manner and that’s what we chose to do and that makes it difficult.

“There are certain situations where the money goes up and up and up and eventually you have to say no, not for us. It is what it is, we move forward.

“But I’m pleased with the other bits of business with Aaron and GK coming in.”