Anthony Gordon is back from injury, and will be hoping to force his way back into the Newcastle United starting XI.
Eddie Howe was able to name Gordon on the bench against Manchester United, and the 22-year-old produced a wonderful cameo in the second half.
He was brought on shortly after Newcastle took the lead, replacing Jacob Murphy in the 68th minute.
Gordon had more than 20 minutes to make an impact, and he certainly did that. Newcastle were completely dominant in the second half, and the January signing was a real livewire after coming off the bench.
He immediately bought into the Toon ethos, snapping into tackles and winning back possession, while he was also a threat in the final third. There was one instance where he fizzed an incredibly dangerous ball across the face of goal, but no one was there to tap it in.
It was great to see Gordon back after his ankle injury, and he will be be pushing for a start against West Ham.
Eddie Howe could be tempted to start Anthony Gordon
We have predicted that Howe will name an unchanged starting XI against the Hammers, but he does have options if he wants to change things. And the most tempting one would see Gordon start on the right of attack ahead of Murphy.
While the 28-year-old has played well in recent weeks, he is much better suited to seeing out games with his craftiness.
Newcastle’s front three have functioned well, but it would be even more dangerous if Gordon joined Alexander Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin. That has to be the goal for Howe, especially while Miguel Almiron is out injured.
We have seen flashes of brilliance from Gordon, but he is yet to go on a consistent run in a Toon shirt. Injuries and ineligibility have worked against him, but now there are no distractions.
Howe called him a ‘top player‘ after the win over Manchester United, and he has to be in contention to start against West Ham at the London Stadium tonight.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
