The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has admitted on the latest episode of Pod on the Tyne that he can’t see Newcastle United’s Dan Burn making England’s World Cup squad.
Gareth Southgate will be announcing his final squad for the Qatar World Cup next week, with Newcastle possessing a strong contingent of English hopefuls looking to secure a spot on the plane this winter.
The likes of Kieran Trippier and Nick Pope are likely certainties given they’ve been part of recent squads, but others such as Burn, Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff have all been talked about as possible selections in this latest piece by The Athletic.
However, Waugh believes that Burn not being involved in past England squads will hold him back in Southgate’s mind.
He said: “Dan Burn, people are pushing him. I’d love to see Dan Burn get that sort of opportunity. He offers versatility as well, he can play in a few different positions, but I mean, Southgate tends to be quite conservative with his selections.
“He doesn’t tend to just have many bolters going and so given that Dan Burn hasn’t been capped previously, I think that one is unlikely – but on form, why not?
“But I think it’s unlikely because he just hasn’t been in the running before.”
Should Dan Burn go to the World Cup?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Burn’s World Cup chances…
Given the number of injuries to English defenders with players such as Reece James and Kyle Walker looking unlikely to be fit enough for the start of the tournament, Burn may well have an outside chance.
The monster versatile defender, who can play at left-back and centre-back, will have done his chances no harm at all on Saturday afternoon as he kept a clean sheet in front of the England manager and played in two different positions, showing his versatility.
However, other fringe players such as Conor Coady, Marc Guehi and potentially Tyrone Mings are perhaps more likely to be trusted and ahead of Burn in the pecking order because of their experience at international level. Although, if it was to be based on current form, Burn would surely be on the plane, given he’s been ‘ridiculous’, according to Frank McAvennie.