England legend Sol Campbell has warned the world that 6ft 7in Dan Burn could cause 'pandemonium' for the Three Lions this summer.
The Newcastle United star towered above the Liverpool defence to score a vital header at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final to spark wild scenes and help the Magpies to their first domestic trophy in 70 years.
And Campbell, who scored for England at the World Cup in 2002 against Sweden and infamously had two golden goals controversially disallowed at major finals, reckons Burn can cause havoc.
Campbell told Chronicle Live exclusively: “Dan Burn could cause pandemonium in the box and a lot of top teams at the World Cup won’t know how to deal with that. I could easily see Dan Burn scoring an important goal from a set-play or corner.
“If you look carefully at most of the top countries, a lot of the players can’t head the ball - they just can’t do it.
“I’d say a lot of English teams and English guys, they can’t head the ball. In the Premier League, there are various players who come in from all over the world, they can’t handle it.
“It is something that has been really overlooked by top teams. Look at statistics - 50% of goals are scored from set-plays, corners or spot-kicks. So if you have somebody like Burn who can come on for 15 or 20 minutes, and you get two or three dangerous free-kicks and you get players like Burn who can attack things, people get frightened.
“If you have somebody like him who understands the flight of the ball, even if he doesn’t score he will cause problems and cause somebody to get a tap-in or deflection.
“I watched the Champions League and the PSG team, they couldn’t head it. Yes, they can play football, but they can’t head it.”
Burn got the nod over Harry Maguire for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad and Campbell can understand why, even though the Man United man has played in big international tournaments in the past.
He said: “Burn will be a handful against some of these international teams. Yes they can play football but causing problems in the air like Burn, you never know.
“I think Tuchel has looked at it and thought 'Harry Maguire or Dan Burn?', and probably thought I don’t need them both, I’ll choose Burn.
“Burn can just go on and play. He’s had a decent 12 months, and he is in the moment. There are no negatives or minuses around him; he is in that great moment, so let that motion and continuation of quality go on.
“He hasn’t just picked players who have had regular football, he picked Reece James, he hasn’t played for two and a half months. But he’s picked guys who can come on and lock up shop or he can bring pandemonium in the box. Just a good knock or a flick on, you never know.
“This is a cup competition, and you need people who are cup winners. In NBA, you’d call what he can do a cut-shot, but you need people who can come on and change a game in a moment. It can happen.”
When asked how far England can get, ahead of their opener against Croatia, Campbell said: “I think they have got a good chance - any team that classifies itself as a top team that doesn’t reach the quarter-finals have had a disastrous campaign.
“The best teams should be easily getting to the last eight. If you can’t get to the quarter-finals you have had a terrible campaign.”
Campbell also feels England will need luck and efficient refereeing, not least after his two chalked off goals against Argentina in 1998 and then Portugal in 2004 at the Euros.
He said: “I was on the bench when Gazza missed that chance against Germany and if he’d slid quarter of a second earlier that’s us in the final, golden goal for the Euro 96 final.
“I look at my moment against Argentina my goal and it should have been another golden goal. With VAR now he can’t wriggle out of that. Where was the foul? The keeper and defender missed the ball. Shearer can’t jump up with his hands by his sides.
“They actually almost scored from it [a breakaway] and if Darren Anderton doesn’t nick it away, we’re out, no penalties nothing. It was shocking.
“It actually happened again against Portugal at the Euros, golden goal disallowed.”
Campbell has launched a new podcast entitled Legend’s Corner and has already conducted interviews with Andy Cole and Spike Lee.
Campbell said: “I started to feel I wanted a different voice out there. So many players I have played against and been in scenarios and seismic situations that happened in my 20-year career.
“You have connections with people you played against when you were younger. I played against David Beckham when I was younger, I was at Newham and he was at Waltham Forest, that special connections starts there and it’s great to sit down and talk to them about their lives.”
Ex-Newcastle defender Campbell has sat down with former Toon No 9 Cole to discuss his life and his time on Tyneside. Both parts of the documentary are now available on YouTube on the Legends Corner channel, and you can follow across all social media channels @LegendsCornerTV.
