Dan Burn has revealed he told new Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle he will be 'there for anything he needed regarding the lads, city or anything else' as the defender adapts to the new regime.
Burn is set to play under Jaissle for the first time this afternoon after being named club captain for the Magpies' friendly against French side Strasbourg in the final leg of the Visit Malta Weekender at St James' Park.
Return to training
The 34-year-old only returned to pre-season training at the start of this week after helping England reach the semi-finals of this summer's World Cup. Jaissle is aware of Burn's leadership role within the squad.
Burn told the matchday programme: "I'm excited to be back in the building this week. Obviously there's been a lot of change with staff and players, so coming back it almost feels like I'm signing for a new club."
Adapting to new ideas
He added: "I've spoken to the new head coach and he's got new ideas of what he wants to do. I'm happy to contribute towards that and push the lads. I said to him that I'd be there for anything he needed regarding the lads, the city or anything else."
Burn acknowledged the transition period: "It's not long until the season starts so it's about making the transition as smooth as possible. Change is healthy sometimes. It's going to take a little bit of time, and we're in a little bit of transition. And it's an exciting time to be a part of."
Senior players' responsibility
The defender stressed the role of experienced players: "There's a big responsibility on the senior players who are left to keep driving the standards we've set for the last four or five years while also seeing what Matthias' non-negotiables are and how he wants to do things."
He also highlighted the opportunity for the squad: "It's a good opportunity for all the lads - now it's a clean slate to put an impression in, and the lads who have been playing are going to have to lift their game again to make sure they play."
Burn welcomed the new signings: "We've signed some exciting new players who have arrived over the summer. It's freshened thing up a bit, hopefully they're given the time to adapt to the Premier League - it's tough when you've not played here before but hopefully they hit the ground running. Again, it's up to the senior lads to help the new guys through."
