Imminent Thomas Tuchel England decision set to tell us so much about Newcastle United’s Dan Burn

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It will be fascinating to see if Thomas Tuchel starts Newcastle United’s Dan Burn in England’s friendly against Senegal on Tuesday night. 

The Newcastle United defender won his second cap for the Three Lions against Andorra on Saturday afternoon during a 1-0 win over the minnows. 

Still, Burn was criticised for his performance for England, albeit he wasn’t alone in that. 

The England boss was not happy about his team’s performance in general. Tuchel has promised to make changes for England, and Tuesday’s lineup will tell us a lot about how highly he rates Burn.  

What Thomas Tuchel said about his England players – and why it impacts Dan Burn  

During Monday’s press conference, Tuchel said he felt like England’s game against Andorra felt more like a pre-season training camp.

He was unhappy with their attitude, saying: “It felt like a pre-season camp. Not in terms that the players don’t do enough, but that their passing is not precise enough, their finishing is a bit off, because they lack rhythm.

“This is what we could see in training and that continued in the game. It’s very unlike the qualities of our players, for them to underperform with one goal from an xG of four. In a game like that it’s more likely we overperform, but the rhythm was simply not there.

“The players were committed, the energy was absolutely the energy we wanted. Why should we be less committed now after a game in which we were not so happy?

“Parts of the game were ok – the first half we created lots of chances that would have made things easier for us.”

Tuchel has been impressed by Burn, but what happens on Tuesday could provide a major indication about his plans ahead of next summer’s World Cup. 

If the Newcastle defender survives the cull and plays again, it would suggest Tuchel wasn’t particularly angry with Burn.

Dropping out of the side wouldn’t necessarily mean Burn’s brief international journey is over, but the fact it would happen after Tuchel was critical of his team’s performance would be hard to ignore.  

Anthony Gordon needs to respond if given England green light

Anthony Gordon came off the bench against Andorra but could be handed a chance from the off against Senegal, based off Tuchel’s comments on making big changes.

The Newcastle winger is coming off a mixed season at club level and could certainly do with a strong performance.

Gordon’s international career is yet to really get going. He’s so far won 11 caps and scored one goal, though has rarely been trusted from the start.

There’s little doubting the forward’s quality. Still, Gordon struggled to convince for Newcastle last season, although injuries did not help. 

If he can put in a strong performance should he be given the chance to start at the City Ground, perhaps he’ll finally claim a starting berth for his country.