Dan Burn hailed an “amazing night” after making his England debut, insisting he has “earned his place” in the national team.
The 32-year-old Newcastle defender was handed his first appearance for the national team in Thomas Tuchel’s first match in charge as England won 2-0 at home to Albania in Friday night’s opening 2026 World Cup qualifier.
It capped off a special week for Burn, who had received his maiden England call-up just two days before scoring in the Carabao Cup final as Newcastle won major domestic silverware for the first time in 70 years.
Burn partnered Ezri Konsa at centre-back against Albania and delivered a largely assured performance, going close to scoring but also suffering a few shaky moments in defence.
“An amazing night to walk out at Wembley and sing the national anthem and to start a game for England,” he said.
“Gutted I didn’t score again, but I’m getting a bit greedy I think, because I’ve had a pretty good week so far.
“Albania caused us some problems, so we were pretty disappointed with that.”
Asked whether he believed he had scored when heading against the crossbar from a first-half corner, Burn admitted: “Yes, I did. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in.
“When I score, I tend to go on a little run. Every time there’s a corner now I try to get a little run and at least hit the target. Hopefully I’ll get one soon.
“I felt pretty calm the whole week. I feel I’ve earned my place and settled into the group pretty quickly.”
