Dan Burn has said it would have been the “best case scenario” for him to have played zero minutes for England at this World Cup.
The 6ft 7in centre-back has made substitute appearances in both of the Three Lions’ last two matches, as they became more defensive to protect the lead and looked to close out knockout-stage wins over Mexico and Norway.
The 34-year-old is at his first major tournament and has been described as a ‘special operations’ player, able to be called upon for specific game situations such as when England are defending a narrow lead in the latter stages — as they were in both the round of 16 and the quarter-final.
He could be needed again when they face Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
The Newcastle centre-back has revealed that head coach Thomas Tuchel explained he was unlikely to start games at the World Cup but wanted to pick him in his squad anyway.
Burn said he had “clarity […] knowing that opportunities are going to be there for you, whether that's coming out and seeing a game off like I've been doing, or it could be we’re 1-0 down and I've got to come on and try and get a goal.
“I knew the role that I was coming in to play and just wanted to sort of do that to the best of my ability.”
Burn continued: “Really, you kind of don’t want to have to come on at all [because that means] we'll win the World Cup.
“It's a hard one, mentally, because the ‘best case scenario’ for the team is that I'm not needed at all, but that also means that I don't get on the pitch.
“It's one of those where if the game is tight at the end [like against Norway], I’m warming up pretty much the entire second half, knowing that I was going to have to come on and do something. I just want to come on and do what I'm good at.”
After spending time in Blyth Spartans’ youth system, Burn made his first-team debut at Darlington and is one of the members of the England squad who came through the non-league route.
Burn was asked at which point in his career he was furthest away from contesting a World Cup semi-final against Lionel Messi.
“It would have been starting out with Darlington,” he said. “When I was a kid, you had to wash your own kit and take packed lunches in and then you were ball boys for the first team at the weekend.
“You might play on the Tuesday night, the first team, and then you’d be going home, I'd have to wash me kick get up the middle of night, put on the radiators and then drive back to Darlington the next day.
“It made me want it a little bit more. It might not have had that effect with other people, but I just felt like mentally I had the edge over people, and I was prepared to go to further lengths.
“I can't say I ever dreamt of being in a World Cup semi-final, because it was so far off the radar.”
