Dan Burn on Newcastle struggles, surprise call and Toon reunion

by Olly Hawkins · Published 14 November 2026, 14:05

Dan Burn has admitted he expected an inconsistent start to the season after a summer of change at Newcastle United, with an early injury delaying his campaign.

The defender played the full 90 minutes in England’s 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday night, and has now spoken about his return to action, his surprise international call-up and being reunited with a few familiar faces.

I expected an up and down season - Burn

Burn admits it has been a frustrating start to 2026/27 for him and Newcastle, accepting that this season was always going to feature plenty of ups and downs following a summer of change.

That said, the skipper believes performances will become more consistent as the campaign progresses after three wins, three draws and four defeats from our opening 10 games.

“It’s been tough. Obviously, I wanted to start the season well, but I got an injury straight away, so it was a long seven weeks.
“I knew the season was going to be pretty inconsistent. We would like to be more consistent. I think as the season goes on, you will see we’ll be more consistent with performances.
“You’re playing with the very elite of the players in this country. You’ve got to be on top of your game every single moment that you’re out there training to stand a chance and get in the game.”

The 34-year-old has had to work his way back after that early injury setback, making Thursday night’s full 90 minutes a welcome opportunity to build some momentum after recently reclaiming his place in Matthias Jaissle's starting 11 ahead of Sven Botman.

Burn on bonus call-up and Toon reunion

Burn also revealed that he had not initially been selected in the England squad, but was placed on standby and told Thomas Tuchel to give him a call if injuries created an opportunity.

He was clearly delighted when that call came sooner than expected, following an injury to Manchester City's Marc Guehi.

“Originally I didn’t get called up, but I knew I would be on standby if there were any injuries. I told the manager if he ever needed me due to injuries, to give me a call. I didn’t expect him to be ringing back the next day!
“I then got the call on Sunday to come down; I was buzzing because I always said I wanted to be part of this for as long as possible. I am very grateful for this opportunity. I’m now going to try to make sure I don’t get that call ever again!”

There was also a familiar feeling for Burn when he linked up with former Newcastle teammates Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon, as well as Lewis Hall.

“It was a real throwback to be honest. What helped me was that I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it.
"Having that past relationship with Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon really helped. It was good to play with Gordy again.”

Burn clearly still relishes the chance to represent his country and test himself against the best players around.