Dan Burn has admitted he cannot expect to walk straight back into Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle United starting line-up just because he is captain, despite fan calls for his return against Aston Villa.
Jaissle has said in recent weeks that he is selecting his team based on data from his medical staff and has suggested the England international is not yet ready to start. Burn was only used as a late substitute in the defeat to Coventry City, coming on too late to make an impact at 4-1 down.
Burn's fitness and competition
The former Wigan and Brighton defender missed the start of the season with an ankle injury but is now back in training. However, he faces competition from Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw, who have established themselves as Jaissle's preferred centre-back pairing.
Asked about starting his first competitive game since returning, Burn told Chronicle Live: "Hopefully. I've been working hard to get fit so I'm looking to get an opportunity at some point. The lads who have been playing have been doing really well. So I will have to work hard to get back in."
Captain's role and honest verdict
Despite only appearing in injury time at Coventry, the 34-year-old's presence was important for Jaissle, who overhauled his coaching staff in the summer after Eddie Howe's exit. Burn offered an honest assessment of the defeat and understood why some fans booed at full-time.
Burn said: "We don't have time to dwell on it. I know we will look through this game; there are a lot of things we should have done better. But we will be looking to bounce back against Villa. Everybody is very disappointed, which you expect, and I understand frustration from fans when they have travelled all that distance. As I say we are trying to put it right starting against Villa."
Jaissle on Burn's return
Jaissle was asked when Burn would start again, with his last appearance coming in the pre-season defeat to Strasbourg at St James' Park. He said: "We need to manage that really carefully. That is the tricky part because we have missed them so much. Joelinton has been longer in training than Dan and the next steps is to integrate them and give them more game time. For Dan it is most likely too short to get the starting position. For Joelinton it could be quicker."
