Dan Burn revealed he has yet to celebrate Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup triumph due to his first call-up for England.
The towering 32-year-old celebrated his maiden call into an England squad last Thursday by powering home Newcastle’s opening goal in Sunday’s Wembley win against Liverpool.
The Blyth-born defender is now hoping to make his first appearance at any level for his country in head coach Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge in Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Albania.
Burn said: “It was strange. 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.
“But I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity and didn’t want to spoil it.”
Burn has ‘had to wait long and hard’
Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett at St George’s Park:
“He had a massive grin on his face [when he walked into the news conference].
“And well, he has had the week of his life hasn’t he, Dan Burn? Called up by the senior England squad for the first time on Friday, scores that blinding header in the final on Sunday and then lifts the trophy for his boyhood club to end 70 years of domestic trophy hurt.
“All at the age of 32! So, he’s had to wait long and hard for this opportunity.
“He’s clearly relishing it and he’s not overawed at all by the quality of the playing staff that he’s now mixing with.”
Burn: I’d previously been overlooked for England
Burn, whose career started at Darlington and has included spells at Yeovil and Wigan, admitted he felt an England call-up had passed him by.
“Yeah, I think I have been overlooked, but I understood it,” he said. “What Gareth (Southgate) did to bring England from where it was to competing in finals showed that his method was very good.
“When the new manager came in there was a clean slate, but once you’ve been passed over during so many international breaks, you sort of accept the time has passed, but luckily the new manager has taken a chance on me.
“It’s probably made me very resilient. I don’t think I’ve had a straight-line trajectory in my career, I started really late and it’s been very up and down.
“I made my Premier League debut at 21 and three years later I was released by Fulham, so I feel it’s just made me stronger.
“I don’t really care about people’s opinions. I’ve learned I know what I’m good at, I know opinions that matter to me.
“I feel I’ve been doubted a lot over my career. I doubt many people who watched me play at Darlington would say that I’d be sat here doing a press conference for England.”
Burn aiming to be part of 2026 World Cup squad
Burn said his aim is now to secure his place in Tuchel’s plans for the World Cup campaign and appear on football’s biggest stage.
He added: “I’m trying to take it camp by camp at the minute. I just want to make a big impression and try and make the next camp.
“But obviously it’s every kid’s dream to play in a World Cup or even to play for your country, so to know I’ve got that opportunity, if I take it, it’s special.”
Dan Burn features in the next Sky Sports One on One podcast – listen and subscribe here.
Gibbs-White: I told Tuchel I should’ve been called up
Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White told Thomas Tuchel he should have been in the England squad before earning a late call-up after an injury to Cole Palmer.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I was upset, a little bit disappointed. But when he told me, I respected his decision. The standard of players is top level.
“I said back to him ‘I feel like I’ve done enough to get the call-up, considering the form level that we were in, but obviously you’re the manager, you make the decisions, and I respect that totally’.
“But then Sunday I got the call, so I was straight here. It was about 4 or 5 o’clock. He sent me a message to say ‘Are you free to talk?’ and I think I replied within 30 seconds.
“He phoned me up and said ‘Are you still upset with me, or do you want to come and join us and fancy training tomorrow?’
“There’s no question there. I said I’d love to come and join and train with the boys… I was smiling from ear to ear.”
Merson: England squad needs a reset but Tuchel hasn’t got time
The England squad needs a reset but Thomas Tuchel hasn’t got time for that.
How Morgan Gibbs-White didn’t get picked originally is just beyond a joke. He’s played the whole season. Marcus Rashford’s played 10 minutes. But I’m not blaming Rashford, I’m blaming the FA for the contract that they’ve given Tuchel.
They’ve given him no time to get it right. He should have been given a longer deal with two World Cups and a European Championship.
He can’t afford to keep on looking at squads and seeing if Tom, Dick or Harry’s going to be all right for next year. He needs his team now. He needs to win a World Cup.
Read more from Merse on Tuchel here.
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