Dan Burn injury blow for Newcastle as defender ruled out for ‘four to six weeks’

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has revealed Dan Burn is set to be sidelined for the next “four to six weeks”.

Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby defeat was soured further for Howe when Burn was taken to hospital following a heavy collision with Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele.

Burn received medical treatment on the pitch before trying to play on, but was eventually taken off in the 42nd minute to be replaced by Fabian Schar.

Newcastle’s attention now turns to a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Fulham on Wednesday and, speaking ahead of that game, Howe admitted Burn’s injury is “a big blow”.

“It was sort of under the radar in terms of reviewing the game the importance of Dan and losing him, just for everything he brings to the team,” Howe said.

“That was a big blow for us. I think he’s been excellent in recent weeks.

“It’s a rib problem with some issue with his lungs. We wish him well, it will be probably around four to six weeks.”

Burn’s injury adds further to Howe’s defensive concerns, with Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth still absent, and the Newcastle boss admits their backline is looking “vulnerable”.

He said: “The backline is an issue for us. We don’t have many injuries but we have a concentrated group of players that are out and all play the same position. Whenever you get that you’re stretched.

“So our backline is looking vulnerable. With Sven (Botman) we’re not entirely sure when he’ll return. He’s made good progress but I don’t think he’s ready to play yet.

“Then we’ve got Emil Krafth and Kieran Trippier still out, their target date will be around the new year, we think.

“Jamaal (Lascelles) is just returning from a muscle problem, he’s fit and training with the group.”

Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting comes just days after a frustrating derby-day defeat at the Stadium of Light.

The Magpies did not register a shot until just after the hour when skipper Bruno Guimaraes forced a save from Robin Roefs, and they struggled to test the Sunderland defence further.

Guimaraes expressed frustration at Newcastle’s defeat post-match on Sunday, labelling their performance as “a mess” before posting an Instagram story on Monday apologising to fans, adding “there’s no time to blame anyone”.

Reflecting on his captain’s comments, Howe said: “I think Bruno’s comments, he was 90 per cent right initially.

“I don’t think we were a mess, I don’t think the other parts of his original comments were wrong.

“We weren’t a mess, we were very well-organised, we just didn’t deliver the performance we wanted to.

“I think Bruno’s very emotional and that’s part of his success, that’s why he’s such an outstanding player for us and leader for us.

“As I say, it’s making sure our messaging is right to the outside world, the second statement he put across is 100 per cent right and that’s what we need.

“The mindset now is we can’t affect the past, we can only affect the future and we need to do that together.”