The 34-year-old is at his first major tournament with the Three Lions and was an unused substitute as a fine second half showing saw Thomas Tuchel's men beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening Group L fixture in Texas.

Burn currently has eight caps to his name after making his international bow last year and while he was aware of his likely role in the squad ahead of the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada, the Magpies man says he will be ready for action if Tuchel turns to him in his country's bid to progress.

"You've just got to be prepared," Burn said at a media briefing. "Sometimes it's not the best player who comes up with the goal in the last minute to see you through a knockout - you've just got to be ready and waiting for your chance.

"I knew coming into the tournament that I probably wasn't going to be a starter, although I feel as if I've got the ability and I would have no problem if the manager said on Tuesday that I was starting. But it's just preparing for a moment when I know that I can come on and be effective and do what I've been asked to do."

He added: "I would love to start a game, but also know that there could be a role in there whether we're 1-0 up and needing to come on and see a game out, or we're playing against a team who are very good at set pieces, or we're chasing a game and we need a goal. We've been working on all different scenarios.

"It's just about those little extra bits that we do at the end of training, and just really sort of trying to prepare myself for those moments, really - even just visualising moments when you'd come on, and things that you can affect.

"I've been lucky that in the finals I've played or big games I've played, I've managed to score some big goals, which I feel like leads to confidence, knowing that I can if that's what I'm asked to do - that I've got the ability and sort of confidence to do that."

Much of Burn's role, he says, is about "pushing the lads in my position to be better players and keep them on their toes" as England look for a first title in 60 years.

After the win over Croatia under the roof of the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Three Lions face Ghana in the heat of the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and the United centre half hopes the conditions won't affect his team's style.

"You've just got to adapt to it. I feel like we're as prepared as possible," he said. "We've had the pre-camp in West Palm and then we're playing in heat all the time so I'm hoping it'll not be a major factor.

"But I feel like until you're in Boston and it kicks off and we're seeing how it goes, I think that will probably be the first sort of test knowing whether we can really kick on and do what we want to do for that full 90 minutes.

"We've got players who can come on now. You've got five subs that you can make who can hopefully keep that intensity high."

The England players were serenaded by supporters singing Wonderwall after a second half performance last Wednesday which showed "how good a team that we can be". "I just couldn't stop smiling," he added. "I think that was such a special moment for me, knowing that all my family were were there watching and getting to experience that at the same time as me after such a good performance and big win against a a good team in Croatia.

"I think that set the stall out now, and hopefully we can kick on."