· 19 August 2025, 17:00
**Alan Shearer has remained on selection duty for the Premier League team of the week again this season, and the Newcastle United hero has found a way to include a Magpie in his first selection.**
Newcastle actually played very well against Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime; the only thing missing was goals, which is hardly surprising given the lack of a recognised striker.
While a few players had their moments in the Newcastle side, and Fabian Schar was awarded the Player of the Match by Ally McCoist on TNT Sports, it is his defensive partner who is honoured with a spot in the Team of the Week.
Even McCoist said when he picked his Player of the Match, it was between Schar and Burn, opting with the former because of two superb cross-field passes.
> [](https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/1957790249423110239)
Alan Shearer picked two Sunderland players and their manager in his EPL Team of the Week
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It's not so surprising to see a Newcastle player selected by Shearer, but what is shocking is that the Toon legend [picked two Sunderland players](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4380621/alan-shearer-team-of-the-week-for-premier-league-2025-26-matchweek-1), Dan Ballard and Habib Diarra, after their impressive 3-0 opening day win over West Ham.
Shearer even went as far as naming Regis Le Bris the Manager of the Week, too, as the Black Cats shocked everybody on their return to the Premier League.
On Saturday's Match of the Day, Shearer left Wayne Rooney to discuss the Sunderland game, which angered the Mackems, calling for Shearer to be sacked. We wonder if they still hate him today. I mean, obviously, they will, but maybe not as much.
Dan Burn was rock solid at the back, according to Alan Shearer
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Shearer made a point of saying it pained him to select two Sunderland players. Meanwhile, he called Dan Burn a rock.
> **Dan Burn (Newcastle)**
> "Solid as a rock in defence. He won every challenge and every header to frustrate Villa."
Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we'll see some attacking players back on Shearer's Team of the Week selections after scoring some goals.
Newcastle have now gone three Premier League games in a row without scoring, a first under Eddie Howe.