Neil Warnock has picked Dan Burn in his “dream” Premier League XI alongside Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. Eyebrows were raised when Newcastle United stumped up £13million to lure Burn - a former academy product - back to his boyhood club in January.
Failed attempts to sign Sven Botman and Diego Carlos forced the Magpies to change tack to solve their centre-back crisis. However, signing the 6ft 7in Geordie proved to be a masterstroke as United charged up the table in the second half of the campaign - keeping six clean sheets in the process.
Burn’s arrival draws comparisons to Kevin Keegan signing Brian “Killer” Kilcline in 1992 for stabilising a side that has ambitious long-term goals. The former Brighton defender forged a formidable partnership with Fabian Schar at the heart of defence to lay the foundations for Newcastle’s impressive turnaround.
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Now, ex-Middlesbrough boss Warnock - who called time on a 55-year football career earlier this year - has named Burn alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Mohammed Salah, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son as his best Premier League team.
His inclusion means there is no room in the side for Manchester City’s Ruben Dias or Chelsea’s recently-departed Antonio Rudiger. Speaking to The Mirror about Burn, Warnock said: "With Dan Burn, I just wanted an English centre-half. Somebody who can defend, a left-footer, somebody who talks well and would work well with Van Dijk.
“The other option was maybe Ben White. He's better on the ball than Burn but Burn is a better defender, so I went with him. I nearly went with Antonio Rudiger but I opted for Burn.”
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