Why Dan Burn only has nine fingers after gruesome childhood accident

At 6 foot 7, Newcastle United's Dan Burn is not hard to miss but the defender can be further distinguished from the pack because of his missing finger.

Burn has 148 appearances in the Premier League and helped Newcastle reach the Champions League last season.

He scored his first goal in Europe's premier club competition against Paris Saint-Germain and has proven to be a bargain signing at just £13 million.

But it's only in recent years as Burn has developed into household name that his unique story has come to light.

The former Fulham and Wigan Athletic man only has nine fingers because of an accident which occured when he was younger.

Plenty of fans have noticed his missing phalange but although Burn has never addressed it personally in an interview, the story goes that he was climbing a fence aged 13.

As per The Free Library, Burn is said to have been wearing a ring on his finger when he got it caught on a spike in the fence.

Image: Getty

His finger, on his right hand was completely severed off in the gruesome accident.

It's clearly not served as a disadvantage to Burn. Released by Newcastle's academy, he now finds himself back at his boyhood club and occupying a key role for Eddie Howe's side.

Image: Getty

However, he isn't the only footballer to be missing a finger. In December 2004, Swiss player Paulo Diogo suffered one of the worst injuries in football.

Playing for Servette, he set up a goal for former Wigan defender Jean Beausejour.

In celebration, he jumped on the metal fence and got his ring stuck - leading to his finger being ripped off.

Remarkably, stewards at the game were looking for his finger and Diogo was yellow carded for time-wasting.

In the end he had to have the remaining part of his finger amputated but continued to play.