Newcastle centre-back Dan Burn has enjoyed a terrific start to his career at St James' Park since joining from Brighton in the January transfer window.

The colossal defender is unbeaten in his first three Premier League appearances for the club, with the Magpies keeping two clean sheets and picking up seven points in that time.

Eddie Howe will surely be delighted with his contribution so far, as the 29-year-old has been a solid presence at the back in place of captain Jamaal Lascelles.

Imagine him & Burn

Newcastle have been linked with a swoop for Middlesbrough centre-back Dael Fry by Graeme Bailey of Planet Sport, and he would strike up a formidable partnership with Burn if he moves to Tyneside.

PIF must secure a deal to land the Championship tank, as fans would surely enjoy watching him next to their January addition next season. Both players are towering, old-school defenders who seem to enjoy putting their bodies on the line for their team, winning crucial headers and making huge blocks at the back.

Burn has made 16 clearances and three blocks in his three appearances and has been a rock at the heart of the Newcastle defence, and Howe could now provide him with a partner who can provide a similar level of defensive strength.

Former Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock previously piled the praise on Fry, saying: “You can put people in and think you can do this... But you cannot replace quality like that. And we cannot replace Dael. He is our best centre-half by a mile.

“We can play around him and if Dael is fit, we have got different people to fit here and there. But we cannot replace Dael. He is the complete player for me."

Middlesbrough reporter Craig Johns claimed earlier this season that the 24-year-old has "everything you'd want of a centre-back", which goes further to show how impressive he has been in the second tier in recent months.

In the current Championship campaign, Fry has averaged three clearances and 1.1 blocks whilst also winning an impressive 4.1 aerial duels per game. This is all whilst completing a solid 79% of his attempted passes - soaring from his 58.3% success rate in the previous campaign. Those figures suggest that he has been improving and, at the age of 24, he still has plenty of time left to continue growing over the years to ensure that he makes the step up to Premier League level.

Therefore, he would be excellent alongside Burn and make it incredibly difficult for opposition attackers to get past them, as both defenders excel in the air and at blocking shots, suggesting that their positioning is spot on. This is why Newcastle must strike a deal to sign the Middlesbrough tank in the summer.

AND in other news, Newcastle facing potential setback before Brighton, Howe will be worried...