STEVEN Defour said it had been an “honour” to play for Burnley following confirmation that his contract has been terminated by mutual consent.

Defour had 10 months remaining on his contract, but is being allowed to return to Belgium to continue his career.

While injuries limited the midfield playmaker to 58 appearances in his three years as a Claret, he leaves the club as a firm fan favourite.

“I just want to say I’m honoured to have played for Burnley Football Club,” said Defour, who joined from Anderlecht in August 2016.

“I want to thank the gaffer and his staff and the medical staff for taking care of me.

“I wish I could have shown more on the pitch, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. I wanted to show more, because the support was really fantastic.

“You don’t really want it to end because you want to give something back for all the support I have been given. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to.

“But I’m very honoured I’ve played for Burnley and that I’ve grown with this club and we made progress together.

“I hope they will remember me as a player when he was on the pitch he gave his all and tried to give some joy to the fans.

“I enjoyed every second of playing for Burnley and I will always be a fan of Burnley Football Club.”