Dan Burn has been nothing short of a revelation since he joined Newcastle United in January. The Blyth-born defender made the move to Tyneside in a £13million deal from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day, becoming their fifth signing of the transfer window.
He made his Magpies debut last month in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa after missing the game against Everton through a minor foot injury. It was a sensational display from Burn, who completed more tackles, clearances and blocks than any other team-mate on the day.
This was backed up with consistent performances at West Ham United and Brentford, where the Magpies conceded just once in the process. His partnership with Fabian Schar has been integral to their up-turn of form, which has saw them move up to 14th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
READ MORE: Newcastle United squad photo shows team spirit is key factor in Premier League turnaround
And the 29-year-old was also impressive as he helped the Magpies to a 2-1 win over former side Brighton at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Ryan Fraser and Schar earned Newcastle a third successive home victory as they look to secure Premier League survival.
But Burn has been singled out by many supporters for another 'colossal' display in defence. He made a series of crucial interventions inside his own box as Brighton repeatedly tried to pull the ball back across goal and one block to deny Pascal Gross was particularly important.
There has since been calls for the 6ft7in centre-back to receive an England call-up by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming March internationals. The Three Lions host Switzerland and Ivory Coast at Wembley in preparation for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Southgate is expected to name his squad for those two matches in due course and there could be some changes from November's 23-man contingent. Five months have passed since the Three Lions played Albania and San Marino, with some players in better form than others at the moment.
And it's safe to say that Burn is someone who has upped his game in recent games, recording the highest whoscored.com average rating out of every English centre-back during his time at Newcastle (7.07). He was also excellent before leaving Brighton, winning Man of the Match against Everton and Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the four central defenders who were selected by Southgate last time out haven't been at their best. Harry Maguire has seemingly lost his place in the Manchester United back-line and John Stones has had a lack of game time in his preferred position.
Tyrone Mings has made the fourth-most errors leading to goals this season, while Conor Coady hasn't been as consistent as he was in the first-half of the season. This could give Burn an opportunity to be chosen, especially if Southgate decides to explore other options this month.
Marc Guehi, Ben White, Max Kilman and Fikayo Tomori have also been tipped for a Three Lions call-up after impressing at their respective clubs. There has been a plethora of young English players who have been in excellent form, but Burn's experience could work in his advantage.
The former Wigan Athletic man has amassed over 350 career appearances and is arguably playing the best football of his professional career to date. He is also left-footed and would provide balance to the side given that Maguire, Stones and Coady predominately prefer to use their right foot.
Burn has the ability to play in a back-three or a back-four which may boost his chances as Southgate likes to be flexible with his formation. Another strength of Burn's is that he is comfortable with the ball at his feet and playing out from the back, registering an 81.4 pass completion rate.
However, arguably his best attribute is his defensive contribution and it's something which could massively benefit England in the games against the 'tougher' teams on paper. He is a very good at one-on-one's and is also terrific at defending his box from set pieces.
Considering all this information, would there be any surprises if Burn was selected? There wouldn't be many from the Magpies faithful and he should certainly be in with a very good opportunity if Southgate chose to give anyone a maiden call-up, with Guehi and Kilman close behind.
Newcastle fans certainly think Burn deserves a chance in the England squad and many have backed him to be selected for the clashes against Switzerland and Ivory Coast. This would be a testament to Howe and the Magpies recruitment team if he does, demonstrating the quality of player they managed to recruit at what was a cut-price.
