Newcastle United's new club captain Dan Burn has urged his side to embrace an underdog mentality as the Magpies navigate a period of major transition heading into the new Premier League season.
Burn admitted the club felt almost unrecognisable when he returned from his post-World Cup break, following a summer that saw the departures of manager Eddie Howe and key players Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. "I'm still learning names to be honest," the England defender said, reflecting on the scale of change at St James' Park.
New head coach Matthias Jaissle has arrived with several members of staff in tow, while Newcastle have added a raft of young, largely inexperienced signings including Lukas Hornicek, Ewen Jaouen, Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Bazoumana Toure. Right-back Amar Dedic is also expected to join from Benfica. Notably, all of the club's new arrivals are 24 or under and have no previous experience in the Premier League.
Despite widespread predictions of a difficult campaign, Burn insists Newcastle can use their transitional status as motivation rather than a burden. Speaking after a 1-1 draw with Strasbourg in their final pre-season friendly, he explained that the team has historically performed best when written off by outsiders.
"We've always done well as a team when we have that thing where it's us against the world," Burn said. "I feel like we were always written off a little bit. We always seem to be backs against the wall fighting. For me, that's when we play at our best, when we've got that underdog mentality, so hopefully we will kick on."
Burn acknowledged it will take time for the new signings to adapt to the demands of playing for Newcastle, but said he is ready to help guide them through the changes. "Right now, can you tell if someone is going to be the next Bruno? Maybe not, but I think there's definitely ability there," he said.
Jaissle has frequently referenced the word "transition" since taking over as head coach, and has publicly backed Burn to play a central leadership role. The German coach believes the defender's vocal presence will be "vital in helping guide our younger players through this period of change."
Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last season, a drop-off from the heights of Champions League qualification and their EFL Cup triumph — the club's first major domestic trophy in 70 years — under Howe. Burn suggested that some of the physical, combative edge that characterized the team in previous seasons has since been curtailed by rule changes. "It seemed everything we did was stopped in the Premier League in the season after," he said. "It's more a mentality. Not that we ever tried to hurt people, but everyone said that. People feared us and didn't want to play against us. I'd love for us to have a bit of that. All the best teams seem to. If that's going to help us, I'd love to do that but I'd be surprised if the Premier League allowed us to."
Newcastle's new-look squad will make its Premier League debut against Liverpool at St James' Park next Sunday. The occasion carries extra significance as the club prepares to honour the late Kevin Keegan, a hugely influential figure in Newcastle's history who also had strong ties to Liverpool as a player. Burn recently had lunch with Keegan in May and described him as "a great person to be around."
With emotions expected to run high, Burn believes the atmosphere alone will provide all the inspiration Newcastle need. "I don't think we need any motivation," he said. "Either us or the city."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.