Newcastle’s very own Dan Burn gets ready ahead of England’s first World Cup game

Newcastle United will have two representatives in the England squad at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, with Tino Livramento and Dan Burn selected by Thomas Tuchel to represent England.

The Three Lions kick off their group L campaign against Croatia at 9pm BST at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday.

Dan Burn, 34, born and raised in Blyth, Northumberland, is one of Newcastle United’s top defenders and has been selected over Harry Maguire to represent England in the World Cup.

From childhood, Dan grew up supporting Newcastle United, but was released by their academy when he was 11. As a teenager, he played non-league football for Blyth Spartans, whilst juggling school and part-time shifts pushing trolleys at Asda. Eventually, he became an apprentice at his local club of Darlington in 2009, and made his professional debut later that year.

In 2022, Dan, in a full circle moment, returned to his childhood club of Newcastle United, before receiving his England call up in March 2025. He explained how he “just want[s] to be here and help the team,” adding that “whether I come on, whether I don’t play a minute, I’ll not feel I have contributed any less than anyone else.”

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However, former England captain Sol Campbell has high expectations for the Newcastle defender, and has warned top teams at the World Cup that Dan Burn will “cause havoc” this summer. “I could easily see Dan Burn scoring an important goal from a set-play or corner,” he told Chronicle Live.

Sol explained, “I think Tuchel has looked at it and thought ‘Harry Maguire or Dan Burn?,’ and probably thought I don’t need them both, I’ll choose Burn.”

The Newcastle United star towered above the Liverpool defence to score a vital header at Wembley in the 2025 Carabao Cup final, helping the Magpies win their first domestic trophy in 70 years.

Being a 6ft 7in lad, Dan Burn is important for the Three Lions this summer. As Sol said, “If you have someone like Burn who can come on for 15 or 20 minutes, and you get two or three dangerous free-kicks and you get players like Burn who can attack things, people get frightened.”

Part of featured image via Instagram @bigdanburn