Garth Crooks says ‘effective’ Burn had ‘impressive’ Newcastle debut

Newcastle United enjoyed a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon and Dan Burn was one of many players who impressed. The 29-year-old was making his Magpies debut against Villa and didn’t disappoint.

Not only was Burn given a player rating of 8/10 by Dominic Scurr of Shields Gazette and 9/10 by Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live, he made Garth Crooks’ BBC Sport Team of the Week.

Crooks wrote of Burns: “He was a player who always caught my eye when he played for Brighton and seemed to improve under Graham Potter. So I wasn’t entirely surprised when Eddie Howe decided to invest in such a dependable defender.

“Burn is a snip at £13m, while his debut for Newcastle against Aston Villa proved just how effective he can be. He can play almost anywhere across the back four and seems like just what the Magpies need to tighten things up at the back. A very impressive debut.”

The 6ft 6in centre-back joined Newcastle on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of January and was an unused substitute in Newcastle’s 3-1 win over Everton on February 8 before starting against Villa a week later.

Against the Midlands outfit, Burn played for 90 minutes, had 37 touches, completed 75% of his 28 passes, had one shot, picked up a booking, made three clearances, blocked one shot, gave away one foul, made one interception and won one freekick.

There’s plenty more to come of the 29-year-old in black and white stripes given his debut resulted in a clean sheet, so supporters should be excited to see where Newcastle finish. They’re already out of the relegation zone with 15 games remaining and a five-game unbeaten run, so can the Magpies start climbing the table?

In other news, Paul Merson says Kieran Trippier was a ‘good