Newcastle United fans have the rest of March ahead of them to soak in their unbelievable EFL Cup triumph over Liverpool with Premier League football not returning until April gets underway.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and Bruno Guimaraes celebrate after the match
That gives the Magpies plenty of time to nurse their hangovers and feel refreshed ahead of a month that will test Eddie Howe's men and their resolve in attempting to land a top-four finish in the league.
Of course, the international break will also see a few faces here and there from Howe's camp jet off to play for their respective nations, with hometown hero Dan Burn now in line for his first-ever England opportunity under Thomas Tuchel.
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He's enjoyed a quite remarkable rise since trading Brighton's seaside for the northeast.
Dan Burn's continued rise at Newcastle
At 32 years of age now, it's fair to say the 6 foot 7 colossus in the heart of Howe's defence has been a late bloomer.
Indeed, back in 2018, Burn was still fighting it out in League One as a centre-back option for Wigan Athletic, only dreaming of the opportunities that would then become available to him when penning a deal at his hometown club in 2022.
Fast forward to the present, the towering defender now has a cup final goal to shout about on his impressive Magpies resume, with the Blyth-born brute in contention to start and succeed for Tuchel's Three Lions subsequently.
Not the flashiest footballer by any means, Burn's heart and drive has ultimately got him to where he is today, with the no-nonsense defender only worth in the region of £6m as per Transfermarkt.
Carabao Cup final player ratings
Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore
Howe's team is filled with experienced heads who have exceeded expectations, with one of Burn's teammates in defence sticking out as another golden buy away from the Toon taking a chance on the 32-year-old, who is worth more than that £6m valuation.
Newcastle's "first class" ace is worth more than Burn
This synergy between the flashy elements of Howe's XI with Alexander Isak stylishly leading the line mixed with Burn's dogged nature defensively makes Newcastle such a fascinating team to take in.
Kieran Trippier is arguably a mixture of both of these on his day, with the ex-Atletico Madrid full-back capable of floating in a top delivery like the one Burn latched onto for the opener at Wembley, as much as he's also willing to roll his sleeves up to put in the required dirty work.
Looking at his numbers from the Toon's memorable day out to the English capital, the 34-year-old defender would undoubtedly prove his worth - away from his top-quality assist - when registering four clearances and completing four tackles, on top of also winning six duels to keep the wounded Reds at bay.
Whilst that assist for Burn's bullet header was actually his first of the season, it's clear that Trippier is still a seasoned professional Howe can rely on in crunch moments, with the veteran's overall goal and assist haul for the club stretching to 26 from 115 Toon appearances.
Trippier's G/A numbers at Newcastle
Season
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Burn does better Trippier's appearance total by 24, but it's evident that both ageing defenders are still key presences at the club, with Howe hailing his often injury-prone right-back's attitude as "first class" recently.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man is worth just a little more than his defensive counterpart too, with Trippier's worth coming in at £7m, according to Transfermarkt.
Kieran-Trippier-1
Regardless of their competing values, there looks to still be room for both Trippier and Burn in Howe's star-studded camp, as both long-standing St James' Park servants aim to bow out gracefully right up until their contracts expire next year.
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