Anthony Gordon jumped to the defence of an England teammate in his talk with the media.
The Newcastle United forward saw firsthand how much of a threat Marcus Rashford is at St. James’ Park last month. The Barcelona loanee lashed a strike past Nick Pope to bag a brace after netting a header earlier in the second half, spearheading the Blaugrana to an important 2-1 victory.
It is not the first time fans in England have seen Rashford rattle the net with venom, but the Man United academy product has fallen out of favour with the media and at Old Trafford.
However, Gordon does not give any credence to the narrative about the 27-year-old. In his opinion, the talk about Rashford is reflective of one of the tougher aspects of life at the top of the game.
“I think it's a testament to him. I think his mindset is unbelievable because people have written off. He's been through so much the past couple of years to get back to these levels. People would never understand how hard that that truly is. So, he deserves a lot of credit. He's a lovely guy. He's quiet.
“He's nice. Like, just goes about his business. It's quite crazy the perception of him outside is not who he is. He's a really nice and polite lad.
“I think I do understand it because as humans, once we get used to something or once someone's successful, we want to knock him off the perch. And because he was so successful so young, I think people almost get bored of it a bit and they want to move you on and the next one to come through.
“That's why it's a testament to his mentality because he hasn't let that happen. He's still playing for England. He's playing for Barcelona. He's playing in a Champions League and being successful. So, it's a testament to his character. I think, like I said, as a guy, I'm not sure how he deals with it, but whatever he's doing right now is definitely working for him.”
