Should that even come as a shock? “It’s always a balance and feels timely.” We need and have needed these valuable characters all season. Howe told reporters about Solution.

 

Newcastle United need to bring in at least one great centre-back this summer, but Dan Burn might still save Eddie Howe millions in a window where the Magpies will have to be wise to bolster multiple positions.

After seven minutes of stoppage time, Armando Broja bore down on goal. Was there going to be another late twist at Craven Cottage? Not if Dan Burn has anything to do with it. The Geordie managed to recover and make a sliding challenge just as the Fulham striker was about to shoot. It ended 1-0 for Newcastle United.

 

Not only did Newcastle win on the road on Saturday, but they also kept their first Premier League clean sheet since September. Fulham may have had 14 shots, but only four were on goal.

 

There was a reason Eddie Howe described Burn and Fabian Schar as ‘giants’. The Newcastle manager even admitted that Burn, Schar, Martin Dubravka, and Bruno Guimaraes ‘kept us in the game early on because the team wasn’t functioning, but certain guys were still strong’.

 

Newcastle conceded 29 goals in their previous 11 league matches, but they have only conceded two in their last two matches despite missing their first-choice custodian, Nick Pope, as well as defenders Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Tino Livramento, and Matt Targett. Burn, the vociferous stand-in skipper, has surely contributed to the heart of defence since taking over from Schar in 2022.

 

“I love it,” he told NUFC TV. “I feel I am still a centre-half by trade. I do love playing left-back. It’s probably more mentally different than physically different. There’s not as much running, but you’ve got to be switched on all the time…I want to prove to people I can still play centre-half at this level.”

 

Those concluding statements should come as no surprise; this is a player who openly enjoys proving people wrong. When Sven Botman came in the summer of 2022, Burn continued to start the first six games of the season at centre defence. When some questioned Burn’s ability to play at left-back, the tall defender was a critical member of the Premier League’s meanest backline last season. As Newcastle try to sign at least one quality centre-back this summer, Burn will be eager to show that he can still give so much in the position in the closing weeks of the season and beyond after a physically and emotionally demanding season.

 

Burn, like so many others on this club, would be the first to say that he hasn’t reached the amazing heights of last season—even before returning after fracturing his back to aid his team—but the Geordie hasn’t let his head down. Burn has looked at ease returning to centre-back after struggling against the quick Anthony Elanga, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Antoine Semenyo in recent months.

Shouldn’t that shock you? This is Burn’s natural environment, after all, but it is still remarkable how the defender has reintegrated after being effectively reprogrammed as a left-back after training and playing in that position for 18 months.

 

Consider Burn’s first game back at centre-back against Everton on Tuesday night. Burn led Newcastle in aerial duels won (10) and clearances made (6). The Geordie’s pass completion rate (91.2%) was again the best among Newcastle’s starters by a significant margin, and it is worth noting that only 18 of these completed passes were short, ranging from five to 15 yards. Only playmaker Bruno Guimaraes had more touches than Burn (81) and four more tackles than the stand-in skipper.

 

Newcastle still needs at least one quality centre-back, even before Botman and Lascelles’ catastrophic knee injuries, but the Magpies will have to be strategic this summer to address numerous areas while adhering to financial constraints. That’s why Burn’s reminder of his strengths in a league he already knows well felt relevant. These are the characteristics that made Burn such a safe bet when Newcastle passed on Botman, Diego Carlos, and others in the owners’ first window in January 2022.

“It’s always a balance,” Howe told reporters. “You’re looking at who can fill what position. I always say the more versatile the player, the more valuable he is.

“We need and have needed players this season that can play multiple positions because you never know what’s going to happen through the season or what players you are going to lose. Players like Dan, who can dovetail and play different positions, are absolutely vital for us.”