Another Chelsea injury hands Newcastle United star major World Cup call-up boost

The Newcastle United defender is yet to earn a senior cap for England but has been in impressive form since joining the club for £13million in January. Burn has formed part of the side who boasts the best defensive record in the Premier League and has shown versatility playing both at centre-back and left-back.

England manager Gareth Southgate watched Burn help The Magpies secure their sixth clean sheet of the season on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’s Park.

Despite Burn’s form, he has been viewed as only having an outside chance of making England’s squad for the upcoming tournament in Qatar. But Chilwell’s hamstring injury suffered in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night could force a re-think from Southgate.

Chilwell was expected to be part of the 26 man England squad for the World Cup but he now looks likely to miss the tournament.

"It doesn’t look positive,” Chelsea manager Graham Potter said regarding the injury. "It's a hamstring and we'll have to scan it and see how it is."

Manchester United’s Luke Shaw is an alternative option at left-back while Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier has also played in that position for England in the past. Both players are expected to be on the plane to Qatar, but a replacement for Chilwell in the squad still needs to be found.

Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell earned his first caps for England earlier this year while Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Sessegnon is also in contention of a call-up to the England senior squad for the first time.

While an uncapped 30-year-old in Burn isn’t exactly the most ‘fashionable’ choice for Southgate, the stats don’t lie. Burn’s ability to play on the left of a back three and at both left-back and centre-back in a back four could make him a useful addition to the England squad this winter.

A 55-man provisional England squad list has been made with Southgate having until November 14 to trim that list down to 26 players. England will open their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21.