It’d be fair to say Anthony Gordon is yet to prove worth the money for Newcastle United.
Now, it is still far too early to write the player off of course. Leaving your boyhood club in acrimonious circumstances halfway through a terrible season for them can’t be easy, after all.
Clearly, there is a long way to go for Gordon at Newcastle. Using this first half-season at St James’ Park as a bedding in process seems a logical way of getting up to speed for his first full campaign on Tyneside.
Still, the 22-year-old still has a lot to prove.
The winger proved ineffective during the first-half of Sunday’s comeback win over Southampton and was duly replaced by Callum Wilson, who bagged a brace after Alexander Isak was moved onto the wing.
Eddie Howe backs Anthony Gordon to come good
Unsurprisingly, however, Eddie Howe leapt to Gordon’s defence after the game.
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“We’ve seen glimpses of unbelievable potential,” he said (via the Belfast Telegraph).
“I’ve got no doubts – I’ve said this previously – that he’ll be a top player for us.
“Sometimes these things take a little bit longer for everyone else to see, but I’ve got no doubts.”
Gordon has the perfect manager to work under
Indeed, Howe has yielded huge improvements from the players he inherited from Steve Bruce at Newcastle.
All of Fabian Schar, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron have seen their Newcastle careers transformed under his watch.
While there are no guarantees, that at least sets a precedent. The club clearly rate Gordon having chased him for two transfer windows and he was unlucky not to get his first goal on Sunday after hitting the post with a good chance.
With so much room to grow, it would be foolish to draw any definitive conclusions just yet.
PIF have rarely missed in the transfer market thus far. Trust the process.