Kieran Trippier hails ‘great’ Newcastle United player following ‘devastating’ injury blow

Trippier and Burn joined Newcastle United in January 2022 with the Magpies staring down the barrel of relegation to the Championship. Among the first few arrivals following the takeover of the club the previous October, the pair were tasked with helping guide their new side away from relegation danger.

In the end, they survived with relative ease with Trippier and Burn then playing a key role in helping them secure Champions League qualification a season later. That January window, one that saw the club also sign Matt Targett, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes, was a transformational few weeks at St James’ Park and one that laid the foundations for their immense progress the next season.

Speaking on the Overlap about that time, Trippier was full of praise for the club’s recruitment model, his manager and Burn, whom he described as a ‘great leader’: “When I first signed we were going through a tough moment.” Trippier said. “We got beat by Cambridge in my first game, but you could see around the place that it was just about believing. We signed good characters in Dan Burn, great leader, a Geordie, would run through a brick wall in any situation he was in. 

“Matt Targett, myself, Bruno, who has been remarkable. At the time it was about bringing the right character in for the team and for the squad.”

He continued: “The players that we signed were perfect for that season. Unfortunately I broke my foot which I was devastated about, but what the team went on to do was incredible. The manager is a big believer in standards, always respect the staff, kitmen, whoever it may be, he’s certainly set the tone. I’ve worked with him before and he demands a lot from me to try and help the players around me.”

Trippier played the full 90 minutes in England’s opening game of Euro 2024 against Serbia on Sunday, deputising at left-back as Luke Shaw remains sidelined with injury.