Gary Lineker has given praise to one of Newcastle United’s stars who he thinks could offer the England squad something different.
There has been a lot of conversation around whether or not Anthony Gordon has impressed Gareth Southgate enough to be included in this summer’s Euro 2024 squad.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker suggested that Gordon has proved at Newcastle that he’s willing to run at players and take them on, something England are lacking in their team.
Lineker says Newcastle star has something different about him
Gordon has been one of if not the most important player for Newcastle this season not only because of how impressive he’s been in the final third but also how well he’s done to avoid any big injuries.
At points this season the Magpies have had to deal with Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy all being out, but Gordon has remained a constant in the team.
With 17 goal contributions across all competitions Gordon is one of the most in-form English players at the minute and certainly one of the most improved having only score eight Premier League goals altogether prior to this campaign.
But it isn’t just his impact on the scoreline that has caught the eye, Lineker has been very impressed with Gordon’s to take players on down Newcastle’s left-hand side and his confidence in his own ability.
On the show, Lineker asked: “Do you think he could sneak into the squad?”
Shearer then responded: “I do, yeah.”
Lineker: “He’s slightly different isn’t he, he really goes at players and I suppose on that left side Rashford has been in and out, Grealish has had his problems this season.
“So, whilst Gareth’s got a hell of a pool of players to choose from there will actually be one or two really top class forwards missing out.”
Gordon’s Newcastle form should see him in England squad
Currently, there is no other English player who plays explicitly on the left side of the attack having a better season that Gordon with Marcus Rashford out of form and Jack Grealish struggling with injuries.
Raheem Sterling has also fallen out of favour both for England and at Chelsea where he started on the bench for their 2-2 draw at Brentford.
The one thing that is holding the £45m winger back is his lack of experience given that this would be his first call-up to the international team, but where better to gain that experience than at a major tournament?
Southgate’s previous history in selecting England squads suggests that it’s unlikely, but if Gordon continues to perform and putting the ball in the back of the net until the end of the season then he could have no choice.
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