Imagine him & Burn: Howe must now unleash "big" NUFC gem who's massively "underrated" - opinion

Newcastle made a number of additions to their side in the January transfer window and three of them came in defensive positions.

There is no shying away from the fact that the Magpies have been one of the worst teams in the Premier League this season, when it comes to defending their own goal.

Only Norwich (45) have conceded more goals than Newcastle (43) in the division, with Eddie Howe’s side having kept just two clean sheets.

One of the signings they made to improve that record was central defender Dan Burn from Brighton. He has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.96 in the league, showing that he has the quality to be a top performer at this level. The question now will be over who Howe will partner him with?

The ex-Cherries boss must now unleash Paul Dummett alongside the English giant as a central defensive partnership in the top-flight.

Newcastle’s defensive record suggests that their centre-back pairings so far this term have been far from good enough, which is why it is worth testing out a new duo at the back. The 30-year-old recently returned from injury and has been solid in his two outings at left-back, winning 68% of his duels and making ten tackles and interceptions across the two matches.

Former Magpies centre-back Mike Williamson heaped praise on Dummett last year, saying: 

“He’s so reliable and probably underrated in a lot of people’s eyes. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s good in the air and he’s got good distribution.

“His biggest strength is that he keeps everything simple and just how well he knows his own game.

“He has consistently improved since he came into the side and he deserves every reward and piece of credit he receives because he’s a genuine, authentic, humble North East lad.”

These