Dan Burn has spent longer on the pitch this season than any other outfield Newcastle player
Sean McCormick is a football writer covering Newcastle United for ChronicleLive. After starting his career covering North East sport, he has had a spell working as an editor on the Manchester Evening News. He also writes about darts and boxing. He joined us in 2016.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe(Image: SmartFrame/Every Second Media)
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At 33 years of age, Dan Burn is considered one of Newcastle United's elder statesmen.
But his importance to this Magpies squad has never dwindled and that has never been more apparent than how much Eddie Howe has relied on the England international this season.
Burn started the season as a centre-half alongside Fabian Schar, as the pair continued the excellent relationship they struck up last season.
He has since played in a back three alongside Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman and after injuries to Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, the former Brighton defender has filled in as an emergency left-back.
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That is perhaps why Burn has only missed one match this season - the 4-1 win over Bradford City in the Carabao Cup third round - and has played an unmatched amount of minutes compared to any other outfield Newcastle player.
Burn has played all 1080 minutes of the 12 matches he has played in across the Premier League and Champions League this season, a record only matched by goalkeeper Nick Pope.
In fact, Bruno Guimaraes is the only other Magpies outfield player to clock up more than 1,000 minutes on the pitch this season and he is likely to be rested from the start in Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth round match against Tottenham on Wednesday evening.
That same luxury probably cannot be afforded to Burn who will probably have to start at left-back again out of necessity with Hall and Livramento still nursing knocks.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe praised Burn for his willingness to help the team in whatever way he can and that will have to continue when Spurs come into town.
Hall is expected back before the November international break and that is perhaps the moment Howe will be able to give one of the leaders in the Newcastle dressing room a much needed rest.
There is also likely a debate at that point as to where he fits into Newcastle's best starting XI, given the partnership Thiaw and Botman have struck up in the centre of defence and that Livramento and Hall are more natural left-back options.
But until that point comes, Burn will continue to demonstrate his importance to this Newcastle side, no matter where he plays.