Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe tackles Dan Burn question – and drops selection hint

Howe’s side, preparing for Sunday’s Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur, were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa last weekend.

Fourth-placed Newcastle still have the best defensive record in the division – the club has conceded just 24 goals – and Howe credits a big part of the team’s success this season to a settled back four.

Howe – who has a number of players pushing for recalls to the starting XI – has been mulling over his options ahead of the Tottenham game. United’s head coach, however, has again hinted at his preference for a “settled” defence.

Asked if it was time for a defensive change, Howe said: “I’ll always pick a settled defence if I believe that’s the best defence to win the next game.

"I’ve got no problem changing it. I just don’t want to make wholesale changes week in, week out, and then lose the balance and solidity that a settled back four gives you.

"I’ve got no problem with change, but you have to believe that change is the right thing at the right moment.

"This back four, who have played the majority of the season together, have been outstanding for us. Our defensive record is very good. Does one bad day constitute a change? I don’t know. I have to make that call.”

Dan Burn, signed as a centre-half last January, has been a fixture in the team at left-back for most of the season.

Matt Targett – who came off the bench at Villa Park – is pushing for a start after recovering from the injury which had sidelined him earlier in the year, but Burn, signed from Brighton and Hove Albion last January, is a key player for Howe.

“Dan Burn’s an incredible player, in my opinion, and an incredible person,” said United’s head coach. “I think what he gives you, you can’t measure. Very similar to Sean (Longstaff), the qualities that he brings to the team.

"As I say, (it’s) sometimes not measurable what those types of players give you, the strength they can give you in certain moments.

"We really value Dan very highly in whatever position he plays, and his versatility is important for us as well.”