Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has admitted he was surprised to see Dan Burn called up for England duty by Thomas Tuchel, days after joking with him about retirement
Alan Shearer admitted he was surprised to see Newcastle defender Dan Burn called up for England by Thomas Tuchel. The versatile 6ft6in brawler has emerged as a figurehead at St James’s Park since returning to his boyhood club in 2022.
Able to play centrally or on the left of defence, Burn has starred in all but one Premier League clash this campaign, but his crowning moment came during the recent Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. The 32-year-old brilliantly met a Kieran Trippier corner just before the half, heading home.
His goal would aid Eddie Howe’s men in their 2-1 victory over the Reds, which ended a 70-year club wait for silverware. The smooth sailing is to continue for Burn, as two days before the showpiece, new boss Tuchel handed him his first Three Lions call-up at any level – much to the amazement of fellow North East hero Shearer, who has previously joked with him about going out on top.
Asked on The Rest Is Football podcast whether any of Tuchel’s England selections were perplexing, Shearer was quick to name the defender. “I was surprised to see Dan Burn in the squad,” said the Premier League’s all-time top scorer.
“But when you look at his performances and everything else – his performance over the weekend in the cup final… It was a surprise [though].”
Yet, such surprise was in no way negative, as Shearer had previously revealed a conversation shared with Burn amid the Magpies’ League Cup celebrations – urging him in jest to hang up his boots on the back of the win, as he couldn’t envisage things getting much sweeter.
“Where do we start with big Dan Burn? I was having a pint with him last night, and I said, ‘You might as well f***ing retire, man’,” added Shearer.
“I said, ‘Because the week you’ve had is not getting any better’. When I said that, he replied [jokingly] ‘I might just go [retire] on Friday at Wembley!'”
The former Newcastle striker continued: “The Newcastle players are all off to Dubai as a team, and I said to Dan, ‘It’s typical, you get called into the England squad, and you can’t have five or six days break in the sun now’. He said, ‘You know what, I don’t give a damn’. He can’t wait to get up with England.”
Receiving his first-ever international call-up aged 32 was something even Burn admitted he never expected, and the Englishman came clean about thinking that Tuchel’s phone call to confirm his selection was, at first, a scam.
“I thought it was a scam initially, that the lads were just trying to wind me up,” said Burn. “But soon after, I got a FaceTime call from the England manager, and I knew it was real.
“Listen, I think when you go so many international breaks, and you’re not called up, I think you think your time has gone. I’ve always felt I have the ability to play at international level, but you don’t really get a chance, and you only get that experience if you’ve done it.
“But the new manager has come in, and I’m so thankful he’s given me this opportunity. It’s been a very surreal week when you have the England manager FaceTiming you. It’s been an amazing week.”
Burn will be hoping for his debut as the Three Lions take on Albania in their opening World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Friday. Tuchel’s second game is also on home soil against Latvia on Monday.
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