£13m Newcastle player has just been named in the Premier League team of 2023 

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One Newcastle United player has been selected in the Premier League team of the year ahead of experienced internationals and trophy winners.

Dan Burn may not be going through the greatest period of his Newcastle career at the moment but he has been quality at left-back for most of what was an incredible year for the club.

ESPN have included the 31-year-old in their team of the year after what was a disappointing year for left-backs in the Premier League.

Burn has his flaws but he’s been solid for Newcastle this year

For a 6ft 7 left-back Burn gets a lot of criticism about the way that he plays and how he can hinder the team at times, but few focus on what he’s been so good at this year.

Throughout the second-half of last season you’d struggle to pick out a game where he really struggled and let the team down, especially considering the calibre of wingers he was having to defend against.

Burn is possibly the safe choice and perhaps not very inspirational, but he is going to get a job done and he is someone who Eddie Howe in particular is clearly a big fan of.

The former Brighton man beat the likes of Luke Shaw and Andy Robertson for a place in the team after the pair of left-backs struggled with injuries in 2023 while Burn has been a very reliable defender.

ESPN’s Mark Ogden said this: “It hasn’t been a vintage year for left-backs, with Andy Robertson and Luke Shaw hit by injury and loss of form at times, and neither Arsenal nor Manchester City operating with a specialist on the left side of defence. But one left-back who has excelled and been a key figure for his team is Newcastle’s Burn.

“The 31-year-old personifies manager Eddie Howe’s success in coaxing significant improvements from players — Miguel Almiron and Joelinton are other examples — and Burn is at the top of the list. Released by Fulham in 2016, Burn has grabbed his big chance at Newcastle and played in the Carabao Cup final and Champions League this year.”

Burn has been great but it’s time to move on

While some supporters may not understand this, you can respect what Burn has done for his boyhood club while also thinking that the team need to move on from him in order to progress. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

Having Tino Livramento left on the bench in the last few games has been a poor decision by Howe as it felt obvious that Newcastle need to be changing up the way they play to try and get a result.

Livramento offers a much greater attacking threat but is also brilliant defensively, so it’s difficult to understand why Howe is adamant that the £13m signing from Brighton must have a spot in the team.

After the team’s recent run of form there’s not too many who will be looking forward to watching Mohammed Salah take on the experienced defender should he be chosen against Liverpool on Monday.