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Dan Burn could become the oldest England debutant since former Bolton star Kevin Davies in 2010
Newcastle United defender Dan Burn celebrated his maiden England call-up in dream fashion by firing his boyhood club to their first piece of silverware in 70 years to end one of the longest-running trophy droughts of any Premier League’s big clubs.
The Blyth-born defender produced a man of the match performance at Wembley Stadium to nullify the threat of a potent Liverpool attack and write his name into club folklore. But the best week of Burn’s professional football career is far from over and the towering 6ft 7in defender now has his sights set on another appearance under the famous arch as England face Albania in the first game of the Thomas Tuchel era.
“I’ve had worse weeks,” joke Burn, before telling Sky Sports News reporters: “As soon as I left the stadium (on Sunday) my focus completely switched to this. I had my family here and the kids and we ended up getting on the bus about 12 o'clock back to the hotel.It was getting a bit rowdy and I was just ready to go to sleep! There will be time to celebrate. I know the club's put stuff out about there being a parade (a week) on Saturday, so I think that's when I'll celebrate.”
Burn is a prime example of a footballer that has had to overcome tadversity and work his way up the hard way. At age 11, when Burn was released from his boyhood club, not even his closest friends could have foreseen the unprecedented journey the footballer was about to go through from earning his stripes at Blyth Spartans and Darlington to scoring in the play-off final for Yeovil - Burn is an example of a footballer that had climbed through each league to establish himself at the top level and now he is on course to become the oldest debutant in an England shirt for over 15 years.
With that in mind, we take a look at the oldest England debutant XI since 1990, including memorable names from Everton, Southampton, Bolton and more - and how they fared in the famous Three Lions team.
Goalkeeper and defence
Goalkeeper: Tom Heaton - age 30 : Chester-born shot-stopper Tom Heaton became Burnley's first England international in 42 years when he appeared as a late substitute in a 2-1 victory over Australia in 2016.
Right back: Barry Vennison - age 30 : An early member of Kevin Keegan’s ‘entertainers’ team. Durham-born defender Barry Vennison had played most of his best stuff in the decade prior at Liverpool but was a surprise inclusion in Terry Venables’ first squad in 1994.
Centre back: Steve Bould -age 31: Steve Bould was a three-time league champion and dependable member of Arsenal’s backline for a number of years but had to wait until the age of 31 for his debut in 1994. He made just two appearances for the Three Lions but did enjoy a 5-0 victory over Greece.
Centre back: Dan Burn - age 32: (*pending) Assuming that Dan Burn does get his England debut in upcoming tests against Albania and Latvia it would make him the oldest defender to make his England debut in the 21st century. The stuff of dreams!
Left-back: Chris Powell - age 31: A former member of Gareth Southgate’s coaching team. Chris Powell stepped into the England squad in 2001 after impressing in Charlton’s debut Premier League campaign. He made four appearances in total but was never quite at the level of the emerging Ashley Cole.
Midfield and attack
Right midfield: Leon Osman - age 31: Leon Osman spent the entirety of his professional career with Everton barring a few brief loan spells and was finally given his chance for England in 2013 when he won two caps against San Marino and Montenegro.
Centre midfield: Tim Sherwood - age 30: Tim Sherwood was a Premier League winning captain, once dubbed by Blackburn owner Jack Walker as better than Zinedine Zidane. At his peak, he was a key member of the Rovers title winning team but his debut surprisingly came four years later in 1999 when he played for Spurs.
Central midfield: Kevin Richardson - aged 30: Like Dan Burn, former Aston Villa midfielder Kieran Richardson won the man of the match award in a League Cup final victory shortly after receiving his first England call-up in 1994. Prior to that the Newcastle-born midfielder also enjoyed league title triumphs with Everton and Arsenal.
Left winger: Steve Guppy - age 30: Then England manager Kevin Keegan had actually signed Steve Guppy in 1994 but sold him that same year before he even made his league debut. Five years later after a solid season with newly promoted Leicester, he was surprisingly introduced into the England squad as Keegan labelled him a ‘bit like David Beckham’. He made just one appearance for the Three Lions, 114 less than Golden Balls but did famously help Leicester to a League Cup triumph.
Striker: Kevin Davies - age 33: Another one cap wonder and the oldest player in this list. Kevin Davies was an old school centre forward who spearhead Sam Allardyce’s Bolton frontline for the best part of a decade.
Striker: Rickie Lambert - age 31: Rickie Lambert rose through the leagues and inspired Southampton to back-to-back promotions before hitting double figures in both of his first two Premier League seasons. He scored on his England debut with his first touch of the match against Scotland from a header in a 3-2 victory and finished with three goals in 11 caps. However, he struggled to ever reach the same heights after joining boyhood club Liverpool.
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