Dan Burn's Humble Beginnings: From Supermarket to England Squad

New Ferens Park feels a world away from the New York New Jersey Stadium.

But it was on this artificial pitch in the north east of England where a future member of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad got what he called his "break".

This was where Dan Burn represented his country for the first time following a call-up to the Clubs for Young People representative side in 2009.

It was where his fortunes in the game changed.

Burn had been playing football for the fun of it at the time, having previously been released by Newcastle United's Centre of Excellence several years earlier.

He had started sixth form and was working in a supermarket.

But England National Association of Boys club manager Alan Watson was assembling a team of the best unsigned footballers in the country for a home nations tournament, and the then 17-year-old impressed during a series of trials.

"A lot of lads get released, like Dan was, but they are still good players," Watson said.

"We used to tell them, 'As one door closes, we will open another. You will be selected for England'."

The towering Burn, complete with highlighted surfer hair, soon found himself lining up for a team photograph in an official England kit from Euro 96.

Sitting in the row in front was fellow centre-back Lewis Blissett.

Now working in asset management, the lifelong Newcastle supporter was only half-joking when he said partnering Burn in the heart of defence will go down as his "biggest claim to fame".

The pair certainly complemented each other at the back.

"Given his height, you would think he would go and win the ball in the air and have somebody else do the other work, but he was so technical," Blissett said.

"You probably wouldn't know that now when he is playing at an elite level and all the players are world-class.

"But his ability when the ball was on the floor was really top-tier for a big lad at that age. His control and the way he passed the ball was excellent."

Yet it was Burn's mentality which truly stood out to Blissett as England won the tournament.

Blissett never forgot how "level-headed" and "professional" the defender was when some of his contemporaries might opt to head out on a Saturday night.

Those traits also left their mark on fellow team-mate Andi Thanoj.

"I don't think you could have predicted that he would have the career that he had back then," he said. "But he always had a strong head on his shoulders.

"We were all teenagers, but he seemed more like an adult compared to the rest of us, which has shown in what he has gone on to do.

"You could sense that even back then."

Thanoj earned a move to Grimsby Town off the back of his performances and the tournament also proved a showcase for Burn.

Craig Liddle, who was Darlington's head of youth development at the time, had been tipped off by Watson about him.

"I remember he said to me that Dan reminded him of Tony Adams and he would one day play for England," he said.

"It was a pretty incredible statement."

Liddle, though, was quickly impressed by Burn's size, comfort on the ball and desire to win.

He was surprised no-one had picked Burn up yet after the defender spent the majority of his teens playing for Blyth Spartans' junior sides.

Liddle was so convinced about Burn that he instructed accompanying head of academy recruitment Les Wray to speak to the teenager's parents before one of England's games had even finished because he "didn't want anyone nipping in front of us".

The rest was history.

Such was Burn's subsequent progress at Darlington, he earned a move to Fulham in 2011, only to be let ago several years later.

However, once again, he bounced back.

Following spells at Wigan and Brighton, Burn returned to Newcastle, playing a key role in his boyhood club pulling away from relegation trouble and qualifying for the Champions League in 2023 and 2025.

Burn even scored the opening goal as Newcastle ended a 70-year wait to win a major domestic trophy by defeating Liverpool in the EFL Cup final.

The centre-back made his England debut the following week and has become a valued member of the squad under Tuchel, who is attempting to build a "brotherhood".

Burn was well aware of his role going into the World Cup, as he looks to push those around him in training, but he has vowed to be ready if ever called upon from the bench.

The prospect of the 34-year-old coming on at some point for his tournament debut would be the latest chapter in a remarkable story.

"He had the desire to stick at it and the fight and determination to come through," Liddle added.

"It's incredible where he's got to."