Dan Burn's England chances analysed as Newcastle United defender tipped for maiden call-up

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.

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