Former Premier League midfielder and BBC pundit Danny Murphy thinks Newcastle United defender Dan Burn is too slow to play at centre-back.
Dan Burn has had to cover there for Newcastle after Sven Botman’s injury and Murphy, who was discussing the 31-year-old on FIVE, has some concerns.
On the former Brighton & Hove Albion player, Murphy said: “Dan Burn, although I love him and he had a great season at left-back, at centre-half, he gets isolated for pace.”
Since arriving at Newcastle from Brighton, Burn has mostly played at left-back, though he is capable of fulfilling the centre-half role.
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But standing at 6 ft 6, the Englishman’s strengths when it comes to defending are his height and strength rather than pace, which will be a problem when the Magpies come up against fast strikers.
Eddie Howe will be hoping that Botman is not out for too long, but until he returns, Burn or Jamaal Lascelles will have to partner Fabian Schar in central defence.
When the Premier League returns, Newcastle welcome Brentford to St James’ Park. That fixture will see Burn take on Yoane Wissa, who is a pretty quick forward.
The 27-year-old has scored two goals in four top-flight appearances this season, which came against Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.
It does not sound like a good match-up for Burn, but the Newcastle man is a very experienced defender who has been playing in the Premier League for a while now.
Perhaps he will have some sort of game plan to deal with the threat of Wissa’s pace if they both play on the day.