Dan Burn has revealed that new Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has introduced a new culture, philosophy, and way of playing at the club. The England international is expected to feature in the VisitMalta Weekender 2026 at St James' Park this weekend, with fans set to give him a warm ovation after his World Cup exploits.
Burn's return and Jaissle's praise
Burn's return is significant for Jaissle, who has already underlined the defender's importance and potential role against Liverpool a week on Sunday. With Sven Botman enduring a torrid pre-season, Burn could be restored to the defensive rearguard alongside Malick Thiaw, but he will need minutes against Bayer Leverkusen and potentially Strasbourg to make the cut against the Reds.
Burn returned to training last week, cutting short a holiday in Canada to be involved against Liverpool, and met Jaissle at the training ground this week. The ex-Brighton and Birmingham defender said: "Obviously, there is a lot of change. It feels like I'm coming into a new club as a new player. A lot of new players and it's going to be an exciting time. We've got an opportunity to create a new culture, a new philosophy, a new way of playing. So, I'm excited for the few friendlies we've got coming up. It's a lot of learning. The manager has come in with a new philosophy, new ideas and new terminology. The lads have been doing it the last week so I'm just trying to pick that up as quickly as possible."
Burn's experience and leadership
Burn used all his experience to help steady the ship in 2022 when signing for Eddie Howe at the start of the takeover period, first cementing Newcastle's Premier League place, then laying foundations to help get the club into the Champions League. He wrote his name into Geordie folklore by scoring at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final - the club's first goal at the venue since the year 2000.
When asked about Burn returning to the team, Jaissle told Chronicle Live: "He doesn't become important; he is important already. He's also a national team player with a lot of experience, a leader. I just had a chat with him in his first training, so I'm happy that he's back. Now we are eventually complete with national team players but we have some positions we need to adjust."
Burn ready for Liverpool
Burn insists he is ready to get back into the swing of things, opening the door to a start against the Reds next weekend. He said: "Physically I feel fine. Mentally I'm glad I got a bit of a break. It was a long season and then having the World Cup as well - it was more of a mental recharge. I wanted to have those few weeks so I can come back excited to train and that's how I feel."
The timetable of events at St James' Park this weekend includes Newcastle United v Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday 15 August at 3pm (BST), Newcastle United Women v Inter Women on Sunday 16 August at 1pm (BST), and Newcastle United v Strasbourg on Sunday 16 August at 4pm (BST).
