Why Thomas Tuchel decided against playing Dan Burn vs Latvia despite Newcastle star’s brilliant England debut

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Newcastle United defender Dan Burn made his England debut against Albania last Friday.

It was quite the week for the 32-year-old by all accounts. Dan Burn helped Newcastle United beat West Ham 1-0 at the London Stadium before receiving his first England call-up from Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel picked Burn for England due to his versatility, with the 6ft 7in defender able to play as a centre-back and left-back. Burn then scored for Newcastle at Wembley, ending the Magpies’ 70-year wait for a domestic trophy and becoming the first Newcastle player to score at Wembley since Rob Lee in 2000.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted he’d never seen a goal like Burn’s scored – the header was a rocket from near the edge of the box.

Burn continued his impressive week by keeping a clean sheet for the Three Lions in his second game at Wembley in the space of a week. Burn admitted he was ‘gutted’ not to score for England after his bullet header crashed against the crossbar in the first half.

Many believed he had done enough to warrant a second start for England but Tuchel opted to keep him on the bench for the game. The German gave his reasoning for the decision before the game.

• READ MORE – Harry Kane’s 12-word verdict on Newcastle United star Dan Burn’s England debut

Why Dan Burn was dropped for England’s win vs Latvia

England fans called for Burn to be in the World Cup squad after making his debut, he completed a remarkable 135 passes in his debut, misplacing just two of his attempts.

Those fans are sure to have been disappointed when Tuchel decided to keep him on the bench for England’s 3-0 win against Latvia.

However, Tuchel pre-warned those fans that they may be disappointed after being asked if there were going to be changes following the Albania game.

“We have reasons to let all of (the players who started against Albania) play again and say ‘let’s do better’, but we also have reports from the physical department of some concerns. We need to be cautious.

“We have two or three players who felt their legs after the match but let’s see. We have quite some time. No one will be dropped from a performance point of view but if we have fresh legs available we are not afraid to do it.”

• READ MORE – How the national media reacted to Dan Burn’s England display against Albania

Dan Burn can rest before returning to Newcastle United

The Latvia game marked the end of the international break for England. Those players on duty will now return to their respective clubs ahead of the end of the Premier League season.

Anthony Gordon left the England squad through injury after hobbling off against Albania with Tuchel confirming it is a problem with his hip. The 24-year-old is still suspended following his red card against Brighton in the FA Cup, so he will have more time to recover.

For Burn, he has the time to rest before Newcastle take on Brentford on April 2nd. Newcastle defender Tino Livramento was also dropped from the England squad after being an unused substitute during the Albania win.

The decision to drop Livramento was a surprising one given how well he had played in the Carabao Cup final a week prior, completely shutting out Mohamed Salah.