Anthony Gordon is the type of player to get you off your feet as a spectator, with his quick, direct style of play earning him a place in England's Euro 2024 squad.
However, in Germany, he only played four minutes of football, in a dead rubber against Slovenia in Cologne. Many believed that the Liverpool-born winger deserved more minutes, especially in games where England's opposition defended in a low-block structure, citing that Gordon's pace would have changed the dynamic of the game.
However, the winger was tied down to the bench, did not play in any knockout games, and was visibly left out of team discussions throughout extra time in the game against Switzerland.
Gordon did not deserve to sit on the bench for the entire tournament, especially after his eye-catching displays in the Premier League for Newcastle last term, finishing with 11 goals and 10 assists, while also winning 6 penalties for the Magpies.
This unprecedented form came off the back of a disappointing first five months on Tyneside. He managed just one goal in his first sixteen games for the toon, however, with only four of those appearances from the start, a slow start can be excused as he struggled for rhythm.
In this piece, I will be mixing between looking back, and how Gordon had a bumpy road to first-team football on Merseyside, and looking towards the future, and what he can bring to both a Newcastle and England shirt, in both the short and long term.
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Early footballing career
Gordon was born in Liverpool in 2001, and joined the Reds in 2008, at just seven years old. However, it did not work out and he was released aged just 11 in 2012.
The winger, who is of Irish and Scottish descent, then proceeded to join cross-city rivals Everton, despite being a strong Reds fan.
In just 32 games for the toffees Under 18 side, he managed 16 goals, and five assists before being promoted to the Under 21's, at only 17 years old.
Racking up over 1300 minutes of Premier League 2 football for the toffees, scoring seven goals, he was then sent out on loan for the final six months of the Covid-affected 2020-21 season, stationed 26 miles north of Goodison Park at Preston North End.
However, Gordon failed to make an impression for the lilywhites not registering a goal or assist, in 513 minutes at Deepdale. He failed to make an appearance in any of the final five games of the season and returned to Everton in need of constant first-team football to realise his undoubted potential...
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Everton Breakthrough
Having made his Toffees debut in 2017, at just 16 years and 286 days old, in a Europa League game against Apollon Limassol, based in Cyprus, Gordon was well-known within the club, both on and off the pitch, and many people were aware of his talent outside of Merseyside, making his England Under 18 debut in 2018.
However, opportunities were few and far between with the first team at Everton, not making another appearance until December 2019, before a more sporadic role in the team started to open up for the winger, making ten consecutive appearances, 4 of them from the start.
Following his loan spell at Preston, Gordon's appearances started to increase in the 2022-23 season. Turning out 35 times for the toffees, he may have only scored four goals, but it was enough to turn heads among the top teams in the league.
Chelsea was reported to have made a bid worth up to £45 million in the Summer of 2022, shortly before manager Thomas Tuchel, who was believed to be the main reason for the Blues interest, was dismissed.
However, Chelsea believed that the valuation was too high, not pursue the deal. Their loss. Gordon continued to develop in the first half of the 2022-23 season, scoring three goals, before finalising his initial £40 million move to Newcastle
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Impressing at Newcastle
In a deal that raised eyebrows across the country, Gordon switched from west to east, joining the Toon, and leaving his family and friends for a fresh start.
His departure from Everton was ugly, forcing a move by refusing to turn up to training, before being chased down a street in his car, after a home defeat to Southampton, in his final few weeks for the club.
Gordon was reportedly very happy to conclude the deal, although had to wait for his opportunity in the north-east. He made appearances from the bench in six out of his first seven games, only being handed a start away at champions Manchester City.
He scored his first goal in black and white on the final game of the season, away at Chelsea, who had previously turned down the chance to sign him.
Over the summer of 2023, he was named player of the tournament at the U21 European Championship, playing as a centre-forward in an exciting England team, netting two goals and one assist as England managed to win the tournament for the first time since 1984.
The following season, he started to justify the heavy price tag the magpies had paid for him. Regular goals and assists made him break into the England squad.
Accumulating over 3,600 minutes in the league, and 48 games in all competitions, Gordon only missed three games in the season, two through suspension, before an ankle injury ruled out of the final game, away at Brentford.
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England Recognition
As a result of Gordon's impressive club form, he was awarded a call-up to the senior England squad for the final set of international friendlies before Euro 2024.
He made his international debut against Brazil before a substitute appearance against Belgium was enough to secure him a spot in the first preliminary Euro squad.
Despite missing the first friendly, in preparation for the Euro's, at St James Park, against Bosnia & Herzegovina, his impressive performance in the final warm-up game against Iceland was enough to ensure he would be on the plane to Germany.
Fans and pundits alike were excited to see Gordon in action, with many believing his skillset could prove the difference in the tournament, especially as he offers a different angle of attack to others in the squad.
However, those pre-tournament hopes were quickly dashed, after failing to appear in the first two games of the competition, his solitary appearance coming in the final minutes against Slovenia.
Failing to make another appearance, the only positive for Gordon and Newcastle fans is that he will have a point to prove in the upcoming season, and with a change at the helm of England, the winger may finally be given his chance to shine on the international stage.
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What is to come?
Gordon will be returning to Newcastle this week, fully refreshed after a three-week break after the end of the Euros. He is likely to make his magpies return next weekend, in the Sela Weekender competition, hosted in the North-East.
However, numerous reports on social media have linked the 23-year-old back to his boyhood club, Liverpool, as it has been reported that Newcastle looked to offload him towards the end of June, in order to aid PSR constraints.
With a new contract on the table from the toon, face-to-face talks will take place shortly over his future, although with Newcastle being in no position to sell, it is unlikely he will leave this summer.
Magpies fans will hope Gordon will not attempt to force a move, like at Everton, as it would become very hard to stand in the way of a transfer to his boyhood club, but Newcastle would require north of £80 million to even entertain discussions with the Reds.
On the pitch, Gordon has all the attributes to be a world-class player. Unstoppable at times last season, especially when working in combination with star striker Alexander Isak, the winger will be hoping to continue his good form into the new season, to make a positive impression on the incoming England manager.
He managed to win 6 penalties for Newcastle last term, the most of anyone in the Premier League. His feet were often too quick for opposing defenders, and his constant bombardment of the left side made up for the lack of threat on the other side of the Magpies' attack.
To become one of the best in the world, he would need to improve on his composure in front of goal, having missed nine big chances in the Premier League last year.
He also received ten yellow cards last term, joint fourth in the league, while also being on the wrong end of a cynical red card. If his discipline improves, he is likely to play much more, he was often subbed off when on a yellow card last season.
Gordon is arguably one of the most unique players in the Premier League, however. While the modern-day obsession with wingers cutting in, as shown with Gareth Southgate's England team during the Euros, he is one of the very few players that will hold his width, when possible.
In Eddie Howe's 4-3-3 system, the left-back will often invert, meaning that the left-winger, usually Gordon is forced to stay wide to stretch the pitch.
This is unlikely to change this season, and with Lewis Hall likely to replace Dan Burn at left-back, he is likely to receive more support going forward, meaning the winger won't be left isolated, which was occasional last season, especially in the Champions League.
Statistically better than world-class wingers Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Rafael Leao last season, Gordon would have been likely to have won a most-improved player award last season, but if he can continue to develop his game, there is nothing stopping him from setting the world alight in the future.
