England's defender Dan Burn speaks during a press conference at St George's Park
England's defender Dan Burn speaks during a press conference at St George's Park
What a week it has been for Big Dan Burn. England call ups and Wembley trophy lifts - it really has been the stuff of fairytales.
Before the madness of Newcastle United's Carabao Cup triumph, there was a phone call from new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel on Thursday evening to confirm that Burn had been selected for his maiden England squad after initially being included in the German's 55-man shortlist.
As the clock struck 10pm, the Magpies defender's phone buzzed, as Tuchel delivered the confirmation of his selection. However, not before calling Burn out over his late bedtime.
"He just said, first of all, that I was very unprofessional for not being in bed for 10pm!" Burn quipped during an England press conference on Tuesday morning. "So I apologised for that.
"Then he said he'd been ringing everyone who hadn't made the squad - so again I didn't think I was making it - but he said he needed to end the day on a good note and that he wanted me to be in the squad.
"Just to do what my strengths were. I explained them when I spoke to him. I said the same to Eddie Howe when I signed for Newcastle. I thought I could offer the same off the pitch as I do on.
"I feel like I'm, a leader, on and off the pitch. I feel like I sit in that role, I know it's going to be tough coming in with these international players and I've never done that before. But that's how I feel I can best help the team."
After the phone call, Burn allowed himself just five minutes to discuss the news with Eddie Howe on Friday morning before switching his attention back to matters at club level. With the Carabao Cup final on the horizon, the boy from Blyth wanted no distractions as Newcastle looked to make history against Liverpool.
Fast forward to Sunday night and it was mission complete. However, again, Burn could not let himself get caught up in the emotion of it all with England duty calling the following morning.
This meant as his Newcastle co-stars partied into the night, the 32-year-old had to take himself away from the raucous celebrations and put himself to bed before his early start at St George's Park.
"It was strange. As soon as I left the stadium my focus switched to this [England duty]," Burn added when asked about Sunday's post-match celebrations. "My family and my kids were here so we got the bus back to hotel at about 12 and it was getting a bit rowdy - but I was just ready to go back to sleep.
"There will be time to celebrate. I know the club have put stuff out about there being a parade on the Saturday [29th] when we get back. So that's when I'll celebrate. But at the moment I knew I'd waited a long time for this opportunity and I didn't want to spoil it."
Newcastle will indeed celebrate their cup success on March 29th, with a parade in the works for the club's supporters. Before then, Burn will be hoping to make his England debut as Tuchel's men take on Albania and Latvia.
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England shirt sale
Get 25% off England shirts ahead of Dan Burn debut
Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon have been called up for England duty and the official England Store has cut up to 25% off the latest shirts and full kits ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
Fans can save up to £25 on the current Home and Away shirts, including Womens and Kids editions. There's also discounts on shirts with 'Gordon 18' printing, with Burn and Livramento shirts expected to hit the shelves soon.