Newcastle United and England defender Dan Burn shut down a reporter's cheeky question ahead of the Three Lions' World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina in Atlanta.
Burn Rejects 'Lucky' Label
After England battled hard to edge past Norway in the quarter-final, Burn was asked if England could consider themselves 'lucky' to be in the last four. The giant defender, who has made effective cameos in both his World Cup appearances in the US, responded: "I wouldn't say lucky, no. Obviously, I think we will be disappointed with some of the goals (in the tournament overall), but I'm just happy that we've shown character to get through the game against Norway."
Proving the Critics Wrong
When the England squad was selected at the end of the 2025/26 season, Burn's place was questioned by harsh critics who raised whether Harry Maguire would have been a better choice. However, Burn has proved to be the ultimate squad player at this tournament, helping others, supporting team-mates, and doing a job when called upon without sulking about selection debates.
Speaking about the overall character of the group, Burn said: "That's what I can say about the character inside the squad. We talked about it in Mexico, but the altitude and the ten men, that was again a distinct challenge."
England's Road Ahead
England are guaranteed to finish at least fourth in the tournament. Regardless of what happens in Atlanta, they will have at least one more game — either in the final at New Jersey Stadium on Sunday or a return to Miami for a play-off clash back in Florida.
The Three Lions, with Burn and fellow Geordie Elliot Anderson shining, hope it will be the former, but they know they must raise their game to defeat the reigning champions Argentina — Lionel Messi and all. Amid the row that saw manager Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham disagree over the performance against Norway, Burn fired a warning to Wednesday's opponents.
Burn's Warning to Argentina
"I mean I don't think we've played at the top level we can yet, but I think we've shown that we can win lots of different ways," he said. "Lads coming into the team. I think you saw people were dead on their legs at the end there. But I'm delighted to go through. If we're going to want to win this thing, we're going to have to perform to the best of our ability."
Respect for Norway
Burn refused to play down the quality of Norway after they refused to throw in the towel at Miami Gardens on Saturday night. The pressure had been on England in more ways than one, with an A-list cast watching from the stands, including Mick Jagger, David Beckham and Alessandro Del Piero.
But England got through it. Burn said: "They're a very good team and we've shown that against Brazil. It was probably not our best performance again, but I think the good thing is that we're winning games when we're not playing brilliantly. It gives us confidence that when we can perform at our best, we can be a real threat."
