Dan Burn has had a stony career path, but he is now experiencing the best week of his football career – both at the club level and internationally.
The camera caught his concentrated look as if it had guessed that Dan Burn would be the focus of the action. And he did that too: a Newcastle corner sailed from the left into the penalty area of the Liverpooler and the 2.01-meter giant pressed the ball with an exemplary and centimeter-accurate into the box of the Reds.
The 1-0 lead shortly before the break. The starting signal for the first national title of the “Magpies” since 1955, they won the final of the league cup 2-1. Burn was then elected player of the game. He experienced the best week of his life.
Dan Burn was nominated by Thomas Tuchel for the English national team
Because on Thursday the English fans should be amazed when Thomas Tuchel introduced his first squad as an English national coach and was also there for the first time – and that at the (delicate) age of 32.
At Newcastle United, the central defender is absolutely undisputed. In the current Premier League season, he stood in every game that he started over 90 minutes on the field, just missed a game due to a yellow lock.
Fate of fate at only 13 years
“I was surprised that he had never been nominated, he is such a big guy, but obviously it is still easy to overlook him. It almost happened to me,” joked Tuchel.
But the path of the giant from Newcastle was not always easy, Burn went an unusual career path and had to fight with a stroke of fate.
At the age of only 13 he lost the ring finger of his right hand after an accident. But he did not let that get himself down and so in the end a circle closed in a way.
Because: Burn already played in his youth at Newcastle United and then in his birthplace Blyth with the local Spartan. There he noticed a scout of FC Darlington in 2009, the fourth division team at the time equipped Burn with his first professional contract.
Breakthrough at Brighton
Two years later, FC Fulham went, where the then 21-year-old made his debut in the Premier League in 2014. However, more than five years should pass before Burn was allowed to sniff air again in England’s highest league, Fulham descended at the end of the season.
For the next few years, Burn mainly played in the championship, the second division of England, and in the meantime he was even awarded to the third division. There he got his only title when he became champion with Wigan Athletic 2017/2018. His achievements aroused Brighton’s interest, which then committed him.
From the 2019/2020 season, Burn established itself in the Premier League at the club from the south of England, so that in January 2022 he went back to his youth club Newcastle, which transferred 15 million euros.
The coach is thrilled
An investment that was worth it for the “Magpies” has only missed seven games in three years since his return. After helping the club initially preventing the descent, Newcastle really turned up and even played for a season in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe, Coach of Newcastle, was also pleased about the nomination of Burn. “An incredible moment for Dan. Nobody deserves it, he is very professional and an inspiring figure. This is a great comeback, one of the greatest stories in football ever. He is someone who had to make it onto the hard tour,” said Howe.
Remarkable: If Burn is used in one of the games against Albania and Latvia, he would be the second oldest debutant in the English A national team since 1950. In his debut, only Kevin Davies, who was used by Fabio Capello in 2010 at the age of 33.