Burnley FC: Hannibal Mejbri's one-word reaction as Gus Hamer beats James Trafford to EFL award | OneFootball

Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was not happy that teammate James Trafford missed out on the Championship Player of the Year award.

Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has made it clear he felt team-mate James Trafford was unfortunate to miss out on the Championship Player of the Year award to Sheffield United’s Gus Hamer.

With just one game to go in the regular season, the EFL held their annual awards night on Sunday, with several awards given out.

Arguably the most prestigious is the Championship Player of the Year, with Trafford, Hamer and Leeds United winger Dan James in the mix to be named as the best player outside the top-flight.

Hannibal Mejbri reacts as James Trafford misses out on Championship Player of the Year award

Even though Burnley have already won promotion, with boss Scott Parker named Manager of the Year, there was some disappointment for the club as Trafford failed to land the player award.

That’s because Sheffield United’s Hamer was named Player of the Year, and it prompted many responses from those connected to the Clarets on social media.

Mejbri was among those to react, with the midfielder simply stating ‘LOL’ on X just minutes after the decision was announced.

James Trafford has enjoyed an outstanding individual season for Burnley

Of course, this is a subjective call, so it’s difficult to tell people they were wrong, and the reality is that Hamer received more votes.

It should also be said that the Blades' midfielder has been fantastic this season. He has weighed in with nine goals and seven assists, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as many of those contributions have been real quality, and he is the man that makes things happen in the final third for Chris Wilder’s side.

Nevertheless, you can understand some of the frustration at Burnley, because they have enjoyed a remarkable season that has been built on a defensive performance that we’ve never seen before.

To concede 15 goals in 45 games is truly astonishing, and whilst it is a team effort, Trafford has been decisive in so many games.

During that period, they have kept 30 clean sheets, with Trafford missing just one game, so we are talking about a season that may never be replicated again from a defensive standpoint.

So, even though Trafford, CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve were named in the Team of the Year, there will be some that don’t understand how the keeper didn’t scoop the main individual award, and this was Mejbri’s way of supporting his team-mate.

But it doesn’t matter in the bigger picture, and all Trafford, Mejbri and Burnley will care about is winning promotion, which was the aim before a ball was kicked this season.