Steven Defour’s cult hero love-in might happen to maestro at Burnley | OneFootball

Scott Parker may have a cult hero on his hands - having only signed him in January 🟣

The mere mention of one Belgian maestro who plied his trade at Turf Moor will give Burnley fans a smile on their faces in Steven Defour, who somewhat began the Belgian revolution in east Lancashire - but he could have a current star rival him in his cult hero status in new signing Jonjo Shelvey.

Defour joined Burnley back in the summer of 2016 from Anderlecht as Sean Dyche's marquee signing, immediately making his way into the Clarets' midfield and being a huge catalyst to their survival in the Premier League that season. The club picked up 40 points to embark on what would be a six-year stay in the top-flight, with Defour scoring one and assisting three from the centre of midfield whilst pulling the strings to ensure that Dyche's side survived with relative ease.

That name, after some wonder goals and delightful midfield play, is still looked fondly upon now - but in the new era of ALK Capital, the former Porto star may have a rival player to match his hero status, with Shelvey already becoming a fan favourite on Harry Potts Way.

Jonjo Shelvey could rival Steven Defour for Burnley cult hero status

Burnley have various players who have cult hero status at the club who have plied their trade in central midfield: Dean Marney, the workhorse central midfielder, will still hear his name ringing around away ends for years to come, whilst Kevin Ball is a fondly remembered name for some tough tackles against rivals Blackburn Rovers in derby games back at the start of the century.

Defour, meanwhile, only played 58 times for Burnley- but he scored three marvellous goals via a long-range strike against Hull City, a superb free-kick against Manchester United at Old Trafford and a cultured lob against Bristol City that will live long in the memory. It's evident that Shelvey has that in his locker, and if the former Charlton Athletic man can get himself further up the pitch and into positions to produce his magic, we could see a Burnley icon in the making.

But maestro Shelvey could be a new name to join them in that category. The former Liverpool midfielder only joined from Turkish outfit Eyupspor in January, and has featured just twice in the league for Scott Parker's side. However, a cameo home debut against Oxford United gave him enough time to wow fans with a Hollywood pass to Jaidon Anthony in the final minutes of the game, providing sparks on what was otherwise an uneventful night in Lancashire.

He did so again against Sheffield Wednesday later that month; a long, floated ball over the top saw Lyle Foster blunder the chance to hand Shelvey an assist just moments after coming on - and fans became fully aware of his talents after just a handful of minutes. Whilst his outing in the FA Cup against Preston North End wasn't ideal as the Clarets fell 3-0 to their Lancashire rivals, Parker fielded a second-string XI - and Shelvey's talents are more evident when he's surrounded by the club's best players.

Burnley fans have initiated Jonjo Shelvey chant

Latching onto his brilliance, Burnley fans jokingly urged Shelvey to shoot from inside his own half when he got the ball despite being 3-0 up against the Owls, and despite his lack of minutes, Shelvey was handed his own chant.

Ringing around Turf Moor, fans have taken aim at record signing Mike Tresor, who continues to no-show for the club - whilst Shelvey's talents have been clamoured over for some balance. The chant went:

For fans to chant about classy midfielders at Burnley - as we've only really seen with Defour and Marney down the years - means that Shelvey has already hit fan favourite status. If he can continue his contract beyond the end of the season, that could be replicated for the six-time England cap.