Eddie Howe may suddenly have to stop picking £13m Newcastle United star in his ‘strongest position’

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The 2025/26 season is still only young, but already Newcastle United have been rocked by a potential injury problem.

During Newcastle United’s loss to Arsenal on Sunday, Tino Livramento was stretchered off.

The 22-year-old was unable to continue after a challenge from William Saliba, resulting in him being replaced by Jamaal Lascelles.

There are fears that Livramento could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which is a crushing blow for both the player and the club.

In his absence, Kieran Trippier will be Eddie Howe’s first choice right-back. It is on the left where there could be problems, and perhaps Dan Burn could be the solution.

Dan Burn may have to play left-back for Newcastle United

Livramento has spent a lot of this season playing at left-back as opposed to right-back. This has been because of Lewis Hall’s fitness, with the youngster doing his best to regain his sharpness after undergoing foot surgery.

While Hall is fit now and has started twice this season, Howe will be reluctant to start him every week amid the Magpies’ gruelling schedule. Hall missed the Arsenal game due to fatigue, which resulted in Burn playing at left-back.

That could be where the man from Blyth is called upon to play more and more, despite doing his best work in the middle of defence. The 33-year-old has been immense since Howe restored him to centre-back, resulting in him becoming an England international ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

But with Hall unable to play every single game and Matt Targett loaned out to Middlesbrough, Burn simply might have to do a job at full-back.

What is Dan Burn’s strongest position?

During the 2022/23 season, Burn was rock solid at left-back. He was absolutely immense, playing a key role in the Magpies qualifying for the Champions League.

However, the following campaign was much tougher. Burn really struggled at left-back, which was made even more challenging when he recovered far too quickly from a broken back. The 6ft 7in defender looked uncomfortable for the first time in his Toon career, with pacey wingers targeting him every single week.

Injuries resulted in him moving to centre-back towards the end of the 2023/24 season, and that is where he played for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign.

During an interview in April 2024, Burn said centre-back is his strongest position, and he has proven that to be the case ever since.

“I think my strongest position is centre-back,” he said.

“It’s the position I’ve played since I was a kid. I feel most comfortable there.

“But I’d probably say in contrast to that, the majority of my Premier League games have been at left-back, and managers continually pick me to play at left-back. So it’s not like I’m just putting myself in, there’s very experienced people putting me in that position.

“I know that I can play there and I do enjoy playing there. It’s different. You’re put in one-v-one situations a little bit more, especially the way we play. We press a lot higher. You get to go forward a bit more, which I do enjoy. I like joining in.”

While Burn obviously does prefer to play at centre-back, there will be absolutely no complaints if he is asked to move over to the left. The £13million man will do whatever it takes for the badge, as he continues to represent Newcastle United with pride.