Player Focus: Is Dan Burn Ready For The Premier League?

On January 2nd, Fulham recalled Dan Burn from his loan spell at Birmingham City. 2 days later, the young centre-back made his first-team debut for the Cottagers, impressing in their FA Cup 1-1 draw with Norwich City, before lining up in the heart of the backline alongside Brede Hangeland in the replay on Tuesday night.

The west London outfit comfortably dispatched of their Premier League counterparts in the 3-0 win at Craven Cottage, with Burn impressing as Fulham ensured progression in the competition. Manager René Meulensteen admitted on Wednesday that he would review the future of the centre-back, but spoke highly of the youngster following the victory.

His words come of little shock on the back of a memorable 6 months for Burn. The 21-year-old secured his loan switch to Birmingham back in July and became a first-team regular almost instantly, starting 23 of 25 Championship fixtures prior to his return to Craven Cottage.

During his time at St. Andrew’s, Burn turned out a number of performances that defied his years, highlighted in his average WhoScored rating of 7.69 for the campaign. To put that into context, only Yeovil’s Shane Duffy has received a higher score (7.75) than the defender in England’s second tier this season.

Factoring in that only Sam Vokes and Gary Mackenzie have picked up more WhoScored man of the match awards (both 6) than Burn (5) gives an insight into just how good a campaign he enjoyed with Birmingham. However, the main question supporters of the west London side will ask is whether the centre-back is ready to make the leap from the Championship to the Premier League.

The gulf in class between the 2 divisions is colossal and grows larger with the increasing financial rewards. While Burn boasts a better WhoScored rating than Fernando Amorebieta (6.84), Philippe Senderos (6.79), Aaron Hughes (6.74) and Hangeland (6.59), the top-flight experience of the current Cottagers contingent stands them in greater stead compared to the youngster.

Nevertheless, Burn is still exhibiting the necessary qualities that many believe would enable him to stake a claim for a regular first-team spot with the Premier League outfit. He is currently averaging the most clearances per game (15.7) in the Championship, while his 257 headed clearances is also more than any other player.

With a WhoScored style of play of his being ‘Clears the ball out of defence often’, this approach would certainly benefit a Cottagers side that has conceded the most goals in the Premier League (46), 11 more than their nearest challengers in that respect (Stoke, 35). Moreover, when compared to the current centre-back quartet available to Meulensteen, Burn’s average number of clearances per game outweighs that of the 4 at Fulham, highlighting his positional astuteness, a crucial attribute for any defender.

When focusing on Fulham’s weaknesses, 5 of their 8 centre on the defensive side of their game and that is little shock when taking into account the number of goals they have conceded, and certainly points to an area that requires improvement. With a further weakness of theirs being ‘aerial duels’, a player of Burn’s calibre may go a long way turning these into strengths.

Standing at 6’6”, Burn is undoubtedly an imposing player, emphasised in his WhoScored strength of ‘aerial duels’. When comparing the 5 centre-backs, it’s the youngster who boasts the best aerial success this season having won 69.5% of his headed battles in the Championship. Comparatively, Hughes (62.1%) is Fulham’s best performer in this particular area, closely followed by Amorebieta (61.8%). Factor in ‘defending set pieces’ as another of Fulham’s weaknesses, and a defender with the physical attributes of Burn would significantly improve this area.

Yet, a pass accuracy of only 65.6%, a far cry from Amorebieta (78.9%) who has the worst success of every Fulham centre-back, indicates a lack of compusure when in possession. His youthfulness undoubtedly plays a part in this WhoScored weakness of his, with the average age of the Cottagers' current centre-backs being 30.5 years, indicating that calmness on the ball improves with maturity.

This inexperience would surely weigh against him being instantaneously thrown into regular first-team contention. The Cottagers defence may be the leakiest in England’s top tier, but tossing the 21-year-old into the thick of it could have an adverse effect on his development rather than benefit his progression.

While the west London side need to strengthen defensively to avoid dropping into the Championship, for the good of the player, Burn would be better suited returning to Birmingham to continue his evolution as a player. Yet, having a player of his potential to call upon will have Meulensteen understandably thrilled having bore witness to his qualities in England’s second tier and now the FA Cup.

Do you think Dan Burn is ready for regular Premier League action? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below