Newcastle United star Dan Burn was among the many to feature during England’s friendly win over New Zealand in Tampa ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The Newcastle United defender is not expected to start when the tournament rolls around but, while not to be condescending, the mere fact he’s involved in the squad is amazing.
How does the idea of MORE star players leaving after Anthony Gordon make you feel?! 😡
Burn didn’t make his England debut until he was 32 and it came just days after winning the Carabao Cup with boyhood club Newcastle, scoring a brilliant header in the final against Liverpool.
Clearly, he is not just there to be a feel-good story. England manager Thomas Tuchel loves working with Burn, and he is a valued member of the squad.
Burn came off the bench to play the second half of England’s pre-tournament victory and the national media were impressed.
National media praise Burn for England cameo
In truth, it wasn’t a game to get that excited about. Not much can be taken from these fixtures, so close is the proximity to the World Cup.
Still, Burn did enough to earn praise from various outlets in the national media.
Anthony Gordon’s gone – so name your dream replacement here 👇
The London Standard gave Burn a 6/10 rating and said: “Not a heap to do defensively, but showed his threat from attacking set-pieces as a clear target from corners and free kicks.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Express also rated Burn as a 6/10, writing: “Nearly had his first goal for England when he beat the goalkeeper to an aerial ball but headed against the outside of the post. Had another header deflected wide. Managed a 100 per cent passing accuracy with his 40 passes including one brilliant crossfield pass out of trouble in stoppage time.”
GOAL agreed with those ratings and wrote: “Played alongside Konsa in the centre of defence and went agonisingly close to scoring his first England goal, but his header clipped the outside of the right post.”
Dan Burn stats for England vs New Zealand
Tougher tests will come but Burn did play well when called upon.
As per Fotmob data, he completed 100% of his attempted 41 passes.
The Newcastle star hit the post with a header, while Burn made four defensive contributions.
They included three headed clearances and a ball recovery, while Burn also won two of his three (67%) of his aerial duels.
While it would certainly be a surprise to see Burn start for the Three Lions when they play Croatia in Dallas to kick off their campaign, he certainly proved himself as reliable here.
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