It’d be fair to say Newcastle United fans are yet to see the best of Anthony Gordon.
The £40m man hasn’t truly hit the ground running since leaving Everton and is struggling to command much of a starting berth under Eddie Howe thus far.
While there have been flashes now and then, the 22-year-old looks something of a far cry – currently at least – of the player who impressed during the relegation run-in at Goodison Park last season.
Still, this is a player Newcastle tracked for months before eventually signing and there is a hope Gordon will soon start to show his best form.
Eddie Howe predicts a big pre-season for Gordon
Indeed, Howe is eyeing pre-season as a big run for the winger.
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The Magpies will head across the pond to take on Premier League rivals in the first-ever Summer Series for the League in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Harrison, New Jersey.
Taking a long-term view of Gordon’s career, Howe believes that series of fixtures will play a major role in helping the forward find his feet clad in black and white.
“I think your first preseason is a real chance to get to know absolutely how we play,” Howe told the Daily Mail.
“I think he’ll have an idea now, but I think we can really bed that down during an intense preseason.
“Anthony in particular is someone we’re really excited by, and I think January recruitment is notoriously difficult for players to come into your team as the season’s already started.
‘We have real high hopes for him next year.”
Taking time to adapt is a natural process
The manner in which Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes have taken to life at Newcastle is perhaps not always reflective on a broader basis.
They have impressed straight away, while the likes Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn arrived with much more in the way of Premier League experience.
Still, that doesn’t mean a player taking a touch more time to settle is anything out of the ordinary.
Gordon left his boyhood club mid-season and walked into a team flying towards the top of the League. That is not an easy adaption.
There is plenty of time for him to develop under Howe, who has certainly shown an ability to yield improvements out of players.
Let’s not rush into any definitive judgements.