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Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Newcastle United, England, Thomas Tuchel
Josh Lawless
Newcastle United's Dan Burn has been called up to the England squad for the first time by Thomas Tuchel but fans might not be aware that the defender is missing a finger.
Burn has not played for England at any level and previously worked Asda, as well as spending good chunk of his career playing in the lower leagues.
He signed for Brighton in 2018 and made his debut in January 2019 before making a further 84 appearances and signing for Newcastle United in a £13 million switch in 2022.
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The 6ft 7 centre-back has been a consistent performer for Eddie Howe's men and the boyhood Newcastle fan opened the scoring in Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Burn will be desperate to cap off a fine few days by getting his hands on silverware at Wembley, though the visual would be slightly different as the 32-year-old only has nine fingers.
Fans have become aware of Burn's missing phalange when the cameras have panned to him during games and it appears it happened during an accident which occured when he was younger.
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According to reports, a 13-year-old Burn is said to have been climbing a fence while wearing a ring on his finger. It caught on a spike in the fence and the third finger on his right hand was completely severed off.
Burn has never addressed it personally in an interview but in July 2024, he and his Newcastle teammates laughed about his missing finger during a pre-season visit to the Adidas headquarters while on tour in Germany.
He and teammates had to put on gloves before touching products and Burn and Sean Longstaff and Harvey Barnes were in hysterics over his empty finger slot.
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Being without a finger hasn't proved to be a disadvantage to Burn and he has now been rewarded with a place in Tuchel's first squad at the age of 32.
He joins teammates Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento in the 26-man squad, with Tuchel explaining why he gave him the chance.
"He has had a very impressive career and he’s a very solid player," Tuchel said in a press conference on Friday.
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"He’s a very solid defender and a leader in the group. I have spoken to Dan and it was a very impressive phone call with very impressive messages that made me very comfortable in this call-up that we have picked a top team player that will help us build the right team.”