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Newcastle United will face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
Becoming a Newcastle United legend was probably not on Dan Burn’s agenda when he joined the relegation threatened Magpies in January 2022.
The Blyth-born defender may well have grown up watching the likes of Alan Shearer and Gary Speed lead his beloved Magpies into the Champions League - but Burn’s initial focus when he returned to the North East from Brighton was merely on helping Eddie Howe’s side preserve their Premier League status. As we now know, the former Birmingham City centre-back played an understated role in a successful survival battle and helped United surpass expectations to qualify for the Champions League during his first full season at St James Park.
That same campaign brought the boyhood United to within touching distance of immortality as he was part of the Magpies side beaten by Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Final - yet here he is again, just days away from another chance to join a list of legends as his side prepare to face Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday in the final of the competition.
As many have been keen to point out, Newcastle head to the home of football looking to end a 70-year wait for major domestic silverware and 1969’s Fairs Cup triumph remains the only trophy lifted by a Magpies captain during the time that has passed. For Burn, the thought of being part of the side that ends that long wait in front of the supporters he once stood alongside is difficult to imagine.
Speaking at the North East Football Writers Association annual awards, he said: “To be honest, I couldn’t really put into words what it would mean to be part of the team that actually won something. I’ve been asked the question when I’ve spoken to the lads about it before. I just think the team that finally gets it over the line will become absolute legends, and rightly so. I feel as though, now, we have a squad where we should be doing this regularly. It would be a real shame and a massive disappointment if this group of lads couldn’t be the ones that finally ended it.”
United’s on-field preparations for Sunday’s meeting with the current Premier League leaders and title favourites was rounded off on Monday night as Burn and his team-mates claimed a narrow 1-0 win at West Ham United to move back into the top six and reignite hopes a return to the Champions League is within their grasp. More importantly, the victory in East London also helped Howe’s men bounce back from their disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of Burn’s former club Brighton and Hove Albion and provided a boost to the confidence ahead of a big weekend.
Preparations for their Carabao Cup Final meeting with Manchester United two years ago were laced with emotion and passion - but Burn has insisted there will be a far more ‘business as usual’ approach taken as his side look to upset the odds and land major silverware on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s been such a long time that we’ve won something, that I’m not surprised that people say that (club is cursed),” explained the Blyth-born defender. “I think with the squad that we have, I’ll be very disappointed if we can’t end that sometime in the near future. We’re full of confidence going into the final. I don’t think it will be the same as last time. It was very emotional two years ago, not just for the players but also for the whole city. It might have been a bit more of a surprise that we got there, whereas this time around, I feel as though we believe that we should be doing that on a regular basis. It’ll be much more ‘business as usual’ from our side. I know there’ll be a lot of external noise, but internally, we’re just treating it like any other game. We’ve got full belief that we can go there and get the job done.
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