'Newcastle hero Dan Burn proves he's not good enough for England'

03/22/2025 02:22 PM

Newcastle United centre-back Dan Burn has had his England credentials written off just a day after he made his senior international debut.

It has been an incredible few days for the 32-year-old, who last week was called into a Three Lions squad for the first time in his career.

On Sunday (16 March), Burn then opened the scoring as Newcastle went on to beat Premier League leaders Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

He followed that up on Friday (21 March) by making his international debut and playing the full game as England beat Albania 2-0 in their first match of their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

However, not everyone was convinced by the performance of the centre-back as he made his bow in Thomas Tuchel‘s first game in charge of the Three Lions.

Dan Burn slated after international debut

It was an eventful game for Burn, as the Newcastle star almost scored on his England debut when he headed a corner against the bar shortly before half time.

Burn was also lucky not to receive a yellow card following a clash with Albania striker Myrto Uzuni early in the second half.

He was then given a much tougher time following the introduction of Everton’s on-loan Chelsea striker Armando Broja just after the hour-mark.

All of that appears to have left Agbonlahor unconvinced by the Newcastle centre-back’s suitability for international football, with the former Aston Villa striker posting on X: “I understand the Dan burn love! But he showed yesterday he's not at the level for England.”

After journalist Henry Winter then responded by noting that Burn’s central defensive partner against Albania, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, had been class in that game, Agbonlahor replied: “Agreed he's our number one centre half at the moment!!”

Newcastle United ace may be worried about future Three Lions chances

Football Insider Verdict

There may be some concern for Burn about whether he will get many more chances for England after his performance against Albania.

Initially, the Newcastle man was largely solid on his debut for his country, before the introduction of Broja into the game.

At that point the 32-year-old found himself being beaten both for pace and in the air, with Konsa having to bail him out.

If England are to win the World Cup, as is the stated aim under Tuchel, their defence is going to have to hold firm against much better strikers than Broja, who was only returning after a spell out injured as well.

With that in mind, the fact Burn struggled to handle him may leave the new Three Lions boss with some questions about whether he will be able to rely on the Newcastle man when it comes to matches at the business end of tournaments, with the likes of Marc Guehi and John Stones likely to be preferred longer term.

The post 'Newcastle hero Dan Burn proves he's not good enough for England' appeared first on Football Insider.