BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has hailed Dan Burn after the defender produced a colossal display on his debut against Aston Villa.
The star came in to replace Jamaal Lascelles a the back. The club captain had felt unwell in the days leading up to the clash.
Burn paired alongside Fabian Schar, and the duo gave Villa very little.
The January signing really led the backline and showed impressive authority.
His performance prompted Gary Neville to call him the best Newcastle player by a mile, with the pundit also giving him the Sky Sports man-of-the-match award.
It was a very promising performance from Burn.
Newcastle hoped he would come in and shore things up, and that’s exactly what he did in his first outing.
With Kieran Trippier now out for several weeks with a fractured metatarsal, the onus could now really be on Burn to step up for Newcastle.
They might play different positions, but Burn, like Trippier, is also seen as a leader.
BBC pundit Crooks certainly likes Newcastle’s signing of him. Including him in his latest Team of the Week, he said of him: “He was a player who always caught my eye when he played for Brighton and seemed to improve under Graham Potter.
“So I wasn’t entirely surprised when Eddie Howe decided to invest in such a dependable defender. Burn is a snip at £13m, while his debut for Newcastle against Aston Villa proved just how effective he can be.
“He can play almost anywhere across the back four and seems like just what the Magpies need to tighten things up at the back. A very impressive debut.”
Garth Crooks praises Dan Burn after showing class on debut, now Newcastle need him to lead
It couldn’t really have been a better performance from Burn on Sunday against Villa.
It was a dominant display, and is leadership and organisation of the backline was clear.
Howe will likely have Lascelles back for the next gam. And so, the manager has a bit of a selection headache on his hands.
But surely Burn needs to keep his place following his fine display.
Newcastle could do with that authoritative presence at the back, and need a leader in the absence of Trippier.
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