Newcastle United have endured something of a fall from grace this season as the side currently sit seventh in the Premier League table. The Magpies find themselves 11 points short of the top four, which is likely what they would have been aiming for at the start of the season.

Granted, Eddie Howe's men have suffered an abundance of injuries to key players which hasn't helped their case but, realistically, they should be doing better.

To make things worse for the Tyneside club, they even finished at the bottom of their Champions League group after qualifying for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Aside from the injury crisis that the Magpies have gone through, many of their players have performed below what was likely expected of them. One player in particular is that of Dan Burn.

The defender joined the club from Brighton in the January 2022 transfer window for a fee worth around £13m but his form of late hasn't been the best.

Dan Burn's season in numbers so far

After joining Newcastle in 2022, Burn had a stellar start to life at Newcastle in the second half of the 2021/22 season, playing almost every Premier League game possible aside from his first clash against Everton on the 8th February where he was left on the bench.

Since then, he has been a constant within Eddie Howe's squad, even earning an extension to his contract which would keep him at the club until 2025. However, in recent weeks, Burn seems to have lost some of his confidence.

In one of the defenders' more recent clashes against Luton, according to Sofascore, he was the worst-rated player on the pitch, receiving a rating of 5.4. This below-average rating was due to a number of reasons, one of which was that out of all his attempted ground duels, he only managed to win half. He was also the cause of the concession of a penalty. Not ideal at all.

When compared to the likes of Gabriel Osho from Luton, the Hatters' defender managed to win 80% of his attempted ground duels. This shows how far off the pace Burn has been this season and is one of the reasons why Howe may be forced to drop him.

Fortunately for the Magpies, they have a few options within their squad in regard to players who could replace the 6 foot 7 titan.

The player who could take over from Dan Burn

Much like many other Premier League clubs, Newcastle spent a large chunk of change in the summer to bolster their squad. The Magpies accrued a spending of around £130.7m during the window with players such as Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento arriving.

However, one arrival which excited many was that of Lewis Hall from Chelsea. Initially a loan deal, the Magpies have an obligation to buy the defender for a fee worth up to £35m.

Despite just starting one top-flight game all season, Hall has been lauded by many as having real potential with Chelsea legend Frank Lampard even hailing the performances of the 19-year-old.

"I thought Lewis did really well," said Lampard. "He’s a good player Lewis. In terms of quality on the ball, that’s really clear. In terms of quality, if you see him with the ball and the things he can do, he’s got the levels, he’s obviously got to add to that as he goes along."

Now, with Burn's poor performances, Howe could look towards the youngster for a starting role within his squad. With an extended run in the team, the 19-year-old could develop further and become integral to the Newcastle starting lineup for many years to come.

Additionally, since his arrival at the club, the youngster has managed to become one of the most valuable teenage footballers in world football as per Transfermarkt.

Within the squad, the youngster sits among some of the strongest teenage talent in world football with the likes of Barcelona's Gavi and Brighton's Evan Ferguson also making the mark.

He shouldn't be played just on his valuation alone but in the ever-improving Lewis Miley, Howe has already shown a willingness to throw a teenager into the action.

Miley most notably put in an "excellent" performance against PSG this season – as Ally McCoist voiced on commentary. That display cemented himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe. However, Hall shouldn't be taken for granted either and must be given a chance to show what he's capable of in the back end of the campaign.