Newcastle United star Dan Burn has finally been able to have a period of reflection after what has been a roller-coaster 2022 so far.
The Blyth-born centre-back has been one of the best pound for signings of United's recent history with his £13million fee repaid within games after some rock solid performances from the former Brighton defender helped the Magpies seal Premier League survival with plenty of time to spare.
The switch from Albion was a dream move for the 6ft 7in defender and while he has enjoyed every moment, he has also had to lock into his A-game and focus on the job of staying up. When the former Blyth Spartans player was asked if it had essentially been a case of Roy of the Rovers stuff, he admitted he had been dialled into winning matches ahead of anything else.
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After once wearing his Newcastle shirt on his holidays, he now finds himself heading for sunnier climes as a fully-fledged Toon star!
Burn told Chronicle Live: "I haven't been able to think to much about it all really. You get caught up in it (in terms of playing). In the off season I can sit back and think about the season we've had. As a club it's been great.
"As a Newcastle United player I've been able to play at St James' Park and be a part of it. I have tried not to think too much about it because I think you can get caught up in it all! But in the summer you can reflect more."
The standards at Newcastle have gone up in the last six months with defenders, not least with international stars like Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes around, and failing to keep a clean sheet, even in victory, is now deemed as a negative.
Burn spoke about these standards and said: "As a defender, you always want a clean sheet anyway. It would have been nice to finish off on one at Burnley. But we have really set the standards now, Arsenal being a great example. And that is the standard we now expect of ourselves every week.
"And the more consistent we can be be in terms of our performances the more positive results we will get."
Newcastle will learn who their opening day opponents are later this week when the Premier League fixtures are released. The Magpies finished 11th last term and will now be looking for a top 10 tilt.
Burn said: "We're really happy, obviously from the position we were in to where we finished, to get 49 points and finish 11th is a very good season."
