As Thomas Tuchel prepares to announce his first squad as England manager, one Newcastle star looks set for a surprise call.
None other than Dan Burn is set to be handed his first call-up to the Three Lions, where he could make his England debut at 33-years-old.
Burn has enjoyed a solid season so far, and could very well be rewarded for his efforts when Tuchel selects his first squad as England manager later today.
Burn set for shock call up
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According to [The Mail’s](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14496969/Dan-Burn-Thomas-Tuchel-England-squad-Newcastle.html) Craig Hope, Dan Burn is set to be awarded a surprise call-up to the England National Team ahead of the upcoming fixtures against Latvia and Armenia.
This has also been confirmed this morning by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who reports Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly, AC Milan’s Kyler Walker and Man Utd loanee Marcus Rashford will be in today’s line up.
On Burn’s inclusion, Hope writes “Tuchel watched Burn during Newcastle’s 1-0 win at West Ham on Monday night and is said to be giving serious consideration to what would still be a shock call-up, despite the player’s excellent form.”
Does Burn deserve to play for England?
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Despite some reason shaky defensive performances from Newcastle as a whole, few can deny that Burn has been one of the most consistent players in Eddie Howe’s often inconsistent side this season.
Even stretching back to end of his tenure at Brighton, Burn has been one of the more dependable English defenders: one would argue that former manager Gareth Southgate’s insistence and preference for a few select players severely impacted any chance a player like Burn had on ever making the Three Lions in his prime.
But Hope writes that Burn’s inclusion could also be for another reason entirely. He adds: “Incidentally, it is a season-ending injury to his club-mate, Lewis Hall, that has opened up a space on the left side of England’s defence.”
“We understand Chelsea’s Levi Colwill is also in contention for inclusion for the World Cup qualifier double header.”
Howe does Burn fit in?
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Dan Burn’s strongest advantage over more ‘regarded’ England defenders like Harry Maguire is his immense versatility, which Tuchel looks to be very much a fan of.
In the German’s traditional five-at-the-back system, one incredibly reliant on using three centre backs, Burn excels across the defence and can deputise on the left to allow a wing back freedom to attack.
With a player like Myles Lewis-Skelly potentially being called up, Burn would be the perfect option to sit behind the youngster and allow the Arsenal talent to contribute more to the attack, in perfect accordance with Tuchel’s tactics.