While it’s been a season of real struggle for Burnley, one man is beginning to step out from the shadows and elevate himself to a whole other level.

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That man is Hannibal, who has been by far and away Burnley’s best player in recent weeks.

It’s almost hard to believe the 23-year-old was struggling for regular starts only a few weeks ago, but he’s now a firm fixture of Scott Parker’s starting XI.

The former Manchester United man starred in the Clarets’ remarkable comeback victory at Crystal Palace, where the Tunisian international also scored his first Premier League goal.

But he’s since repeated those displays with some consistent performances, making him one of, if not the first name on the teamsheet.

His manager Parker also feels he’s “matured” this season, having been renowned for a lack of discipline and letting opposition players – and fans on some occasions – get to him.

But now, the next challenge for Hannibal is to knuckle down and show consistency. If he’s able to do that, there’s no limit to where he can go.

Hannibal has taken his game to another level in recent weeks (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

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“It was probably about three or four weeks ago we were speaking about Hannibal and it was like: ‘you know, we all see his quality, but it's probably the maturity in his game that he needs to bring’,” Parker said.

“Not just the maturity in terms of how he conducts himself at certain moments, but just his general maturity in the way he plays.

"But I thought against Brentford, it was probably one of his best games in a Burnley shirt. I thought he showed real character, real bravery and courage to take the game by the scruff of the neck. I thought he was the best player on the pitch really and I think he has been over the last three or four weeks. He's been superb.

“We know his quality. I spoke to him today and just said to him, one thing that's impressed me – Hannibal's technical ability is just there to see – but his maturity in the games over the last three or four weeks has been superb.

“He's given himself a platform and he looks every bit of a top player, so now he needs to maintain that.”

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