CIES Football Observatory have recently released a statistic showing that Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon sprints more than any other player in the top five leagues in Europe.
It’s no secret that Gordon’s pace his a huge part of his game, but perhaps surprising to see the sheer amount of sprints that he is attempting on a regular basis.
SkillCorner have used their data to come up with the statistic showing the top three players who have the highest frequency of sprints.
Anthony Gordon leads the way for Newcastle while Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga came in second and Montpellier’s Al-Taamari in third.
Gordon is key to Newcastle’s game
The 22-year-old has had the best start to a season in his young career this year and is absolutely integral to almost everything Newcastle do on the attack.
The winger has previously been criticised for his lack of end product during his days at Everton and had been known to complain a lot, with some suggesting that he fell too easily when being challenged.
That has all changed since he arrived at Newcastle under the guidance of Eddie Howe. Gordon has already scored four and assisted two in 11 Premier League appearances as well as winning two penalties in key victories against Brentford and Burnley in September.
The biggest threat Gordon has in his arsenal, however, is his sprints, and they have certainly caused a lot of issues for Newcastle’s opposition so far this season. Though it’s rarely been seen, a front three of Gordon, Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron must be one of the quickest attacks in the league.
England call-up on the horizon
For Newcastle, it is in their best interests for the former Everton man to not be called up to the national team and to have two weeks rest instead in what has already been a hectic, injury-plagued season.
For Gordon, however, it is a huge shame to see him miss out on Gareth Southgate’s squad even after a number of players dropped out due to injury, including Newcastle’s Callum Wilson.
Not only does he have the most sprints in Europe, but Gordon has been one of the brightest and most creative sparks in the Premier League for Newcastle and it’s disappointing to see that go unrewarded.
Should he continue this run of form, an England call-up is no doubt right around the corner, but it should have come sooner rather than later.
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