The 34-year-old defender has been a hit with fans in the World Cup but he’s admitted representing England at the tournament always felt “so far off the radar” in his years with non-league Darlington when he was first starting out.

He told Telegraph Sport: “When I was a kid, you had to wash your own kit and take packed lunches in and then you were ball boys for the first team at the weekend.

“You might play on the Tuesday night, the first team, and then you’d be going home. I’d have to wash my kit, get up in the middle of night, put it on the radiators and then drive back to Darlington the next day.

“It also made me want it a little bit more. It might not have had that effect with other people, but I just felt like mentally I had the edge over people, and I was prepared to go to further lengths.

“ I can’t say I ever dreamt of being in a World Cup semi-final, because it was so far off the radar. But it’s just something that’s probably managed to happen in the last couple years where you feel like that’s possible.”

After stints at clubs including Fulham, Yeovil Town, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Brighton, Dan signed for his boyhood club Newcastle United in 2022 and over the years he’s realised the journey is more important than fulfilling a goal.

He said: “I think in life, you always want more.

“I used to think that once I played in the Premier League, I’ll be content or once I’ve played in the Champions League, I’ll be content, once I’ve won a cup at Newcastle. I feel like you always realise that you always want more.

“It’s always more about the journey to get there rather than the actual thing.

“The amount of times I’ve thought about winning a cup at Newcastle, actually it was a bit of an anti-climax when you got there.”