England will face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.
Former Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford believes Newcastle United star Dan Burn has epitomised the attitude and mentality shown by the England squad during their World Cup finals campaign.
After breaking into the Three Lions squad last year by earning a surprise call-up from Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel, Burn earned himself a place on the plane to North America and immediately admitted he knew what his role would be. After failing to feature for a single second of group stage meetings with Croatia, Ghana and Panama or the round-of-32 clash with Noah Sadiki and Arthur Massuaku’s DR Congo, Burn came off the bench to produce an outstanding cameo as he bolstered England’s defensive ranks during a now-iconic round-of-16 win against co-hosts Mexico as he repelled several attacks to help Tuchel’s men land a 3-2 win at the Azteca Stadium.
England defender Dan Burn.placeholder image
England defender Dan Burn. | AFP via Getty Images.
Burn came off the bench in Saturday’s quarter-final meeting with Erling Haaland’s Norway and was once again at the heart of the action as England held on to progress with a 2-1 victory in extra-time. The Magpies star produced an eye-catching header in the final seconds of the game as he powered a clearance away from the edge of the Three Lions area that ended any doubt over the result and earned further praise from former Sunderland goalkeeper and current England team-mate Jordan Pickford.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Argentina, Pickford said of Burn: “That’s the character he has as a lad. He’d not played much at all and then came on against Mexico and he made seven or eight challenges with his head and that overhead kick from Jimenez, and he just got in there and took it like a man. That’s what you do, you train well and once you get your opportunity, you take it. He’s been brilliant. Everyone saw the video of him heading that last ball (against Norway), I think I was heading it myself. That’s the character he is and that’s the character in the squad. That’s the mentality we have as well.”
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