Dan Burn opens up about this season


 
 
 
 
 
 

Dan Burn has been speaking ahead of the return to action on Saturday.

Newcastle United facing West Ham in the first of ten remaining Premier League games.

Along with the other players not involved in internationals, Dan Burn part of the Newcastle United squad who have been away for warm weather training in Dubai this month.

Dan Burn speaking to BBC Sport – 28 March 2024:

“It has been a challenging season.

“Obviously the amount of injuries, we don’t want to use that as an excuse, but we have had a lot.

“This the first experience for the majority of lads playing European football, we needed that rest [in Dubai during this international break] mentally as much as physically.”

Dan Burn on his own season and criticism of form:

“Yes, it has been tough.

“You are playing against the best players in the world.

“It is all about consistency at this level and when you are not playing consistently you come in for criticism.

“I probably haven’t hit the heights I did last season but I’m still enjoying it and still want to prove people wrong.

“I know I’ve got a lot of doubters but I’ve had that all my career so its not changed.

“I want to work hard and make those improvements.”

It has obviously been embarrassing some of the over the top criticism (abuse?) from certain Newcastle United fans directed at Dan Burn, as well as indeed many other Newcastle players and Eddie Howe.

However, clearly this has been a season whereby, due to many factors, last season hasn’t been matched.

Dan Burn as usual very honest, admitting that amongst those factors, players haven’t hit the same heights as last season in many cases, at times in this campaign.

At the same time, you do have to factor in the injuries, including / especially for Dan Burn.

He picked up that serious back injury against Arsenal in November and then both Dan Burn and Eddie Howe admitted that he’d came back far quicker than ideal, to try and help the NUFC squad which had so many players missing.

Indeed, I think the Dan Burn stats perfectly illustrate the way Newcastle United’s season has gone, overwhelmingly due to the number of unavailable players.

Dan Burn has started 22 Premier League games this season, 11 up to and including Arsenal at home when picking up that back problem, then another level PL starts from mid-December onwards when he returned earlier than ideal from his injury.

First 11 Dan Burn Premier League starts this season, Newcastle United scoring 27 goals and conceding 11.

These last 11 Dan Burn Premier League starts this season, Newcastle United scoring 25 goals and conceding 23.

As a team, United able to more or less maintain the number of goals they were scoring in the opening months, but then conceding twice as many.