Dan Burn being in England squad is no joke despite his daft victory dance – as Newcastle’s Cup winning hero insists he is not with the Three Lions to be a cheerleader

There was a nice quip from Thomas Tuchel in the bowels of Wembley on Friday while introducing the first England squad of his reign. It was a line he appeared to have rehearsed and delivered it perfectly.

In the mind of the new England boss, Dan Burn has been unlucky to have to wait until the grand old age of 32 to receive a FaceTime call at 10pm on Thursday relaying the good news that yes, he was wanted for international duty the following Monday. And no, it wasn’t a wind up.

To illustrate this, Tuchel had his wisecrack: ‘I was surprised Dan was never called up. He is such a tall guy, but obviously it is easy to overlook him.’

It prompted some laughter and Burn shared in that on Tuesday at St George’s Park, where he feigned surprise at how tall the ‘gaffer is’ while dissecting a journey from his early release as a goalkeeper at Newcastle aged 11, to stacking shelves in Asda and even losing a finger as a teenager before reaching the other end of the spectrum —representing his country, days after helping deliver his boyhood club a first major domestic trophy in 70 years.

He did so with his own humour and humility, spending two hours of Monday at England’s HQ replying to hundreds of congratulatory messages at the end of a week that has turned his world upside down. ‘I’ve had the same phone number since I was 16,’ Burn said. ‘So I’ll probably have to change that at some point. It was stressing me out not replying to everyone.’

And there is a fine line to tread here with Burn. It is a great story, a story of perseverance, of a chip on his shoulder — Burn’s words — to become a Premier League mainstay. It is a story the FA love, proof the pyramid works. The people of Darlington and his hometown of Blyth, where Burn played as a kid, have their own memories and stories of the local boy done good.

Burn joined up with the Three Lions after his goalscoring role in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win

The defender’s rise is a great story but his call-up should not be viewed as a gimmick

But equally, this is Tuchel’s first squad. A squad of intent, 15 months out from the World Cup. Being named in it is significant and so Burn is no gimmick, particularly given that he can operate in two positions, centre back or left back.

This despite a chat with former Newcastle defender John Beresford at a dinner. Burn sorted his dad, David, tickets for the night as a birthday present.

The compere caught Burn’s discussion with Beresford and quickly switched on the mic: ‘I don’t want to worry the room, but Dan Burn is sat next to John Beresford and he’s telling him how to defend. Dan, don’t listen!’ Burn grinned. 

There is something authentic about him in a way that is the product of the interminable knockbacks of youth. It is why he will unashamedly launch into that dance inside the dressing room at Wembley and why — on securing Newcastle’s first cup final under Eddie Howe two years ago — he giddily boomed that he better get his suit measured.

‘Obviously, I’m not just coming in to be a cheerleader, I want to help the boys out,’ he said. ‘I want to play. When you have been passed over for so many international breaks, you accept that the time has passed.’

Burn did not train with the squad on day one, instead going through a recovery session after Sunday’s exploits. As the Newcastle coaches rolled into the Grove at midnight following the Carabao Cup triumph, the party became rowdy and Burn just headed straight for bed.

Amid a few introductions and learning the order of things, he had apologies to make to Jarrod Bowen for smashing into him during a meeting with West Ham recently, admitting the ‘red mist’ descended. Again, Burn smiled telling that. It was the same when saying he would have no qualms dishing out home truths to Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham.

All this speaks to the way Tuchel has talked up his temperament and ability to lead. That is where the former Wigan and Brighton man’s use of ‘cheerleader’ comes from, but he also recognises it is a trait that works heavily in his favour.

‘A lot of the time in meetings people don’t want to speak up because they find it embarrassing,’ he said. ‘Eddie has really pushed me out of my comfort zone with things that in the past I’ve not been keen to do. We do things in Newcastle called “timeline” where you’ve got to stand up and speak for 10 minutes about anything. It tends to be about people’s careers and where they’ve come from and it gives you a different perspective.

Burn delivered Newcastle’s first silverware for 70 years before turning attention to England

Burn brought out his signature dance in the celebrations and is a key part of the dressing room 

Tuchel talked up Burn’s ability to be a leader as part of the reason for the defender’s call-up

‘I love the NFL and feel they are really good at saying what they feel will help the group. They’ll just get up and say it. That is something English football can learn from. You get closer to each other as a team, taking a risk by standing up in front of people to speak and be more vulnerable.’

He allowed himself to become vulnerable with England once before: the World Cup in 2022. There had been chat that he might get a call-up, but it came to nothing, Burn rationalising Gareth Southgate had created a club feel with similar squads and accepting his time had gone.

Last summer he sat in an Airbnb watching the Euros final with family while his house was being renovated. But there must have been a small part of Burn thinking back to when he fell in love with football in 2002.

‘That World Cup we were in Florida as a family,’ he recalled. ‘I remember getting up at 3am to watch England v Argentina with my dad at a local pub. The David Beckham penalty. That is probably what set off a dream.

‘You get out of life what you put into it. I really wanted to have no regrets in my career, wishing I’d trained harder, looked after myself more or hadn’t gone out. I just wanted to know that when I finished my career, I’d squeezed everything I could from it.’