Anthony Gordon will be eager to return from injury as soon as possible, but there is now extra incentive for the Newcastle winger to make a speedy recovery.
Newcastle have been without Gordon for the previous two games, with the 22-year-old suffering an ankle injury.
It came at a terrible time for the £45million man, as he had only just got himself into Eddie Howe’s starting XI. He has been praised a lot since arriving on Tyneside, but has only been able to start one game for his new team.
However, Gordon will now know that he has an incredible opportunity to establish himself as a starter for Newcastle in the coming weeks after recent news coming out of the club.
Miguel Almiron joins Anthony Gordon on the injury list
In the hours builiding up to the Nottingham Forest game on Friday night, it was reported that Miguel Almiron had picked up an injury.
It came as a real shock, as fans were in the process of debating whether or not he would replace Jacob Murphy in the starting XI at the City Ground.
However, that did not happen as the Paraguayan is now out with a hamstring problem. Howe has stated that the 29-year-old will be out for six weeks.
That is a major blow, as Almiron is our top scorer with 11 goals. He has been incredible this season, and was recently rewarded with a new contract.
Chance for Gordon to nail down a place in Howe’s starting lineup
With Almiron set for a spell on the sidelines, it means there is a place up for grabs in the starting XI. Murphy has done well on the right recently, but is not a long-term solution.
Given the amount of money invested, Howe will be keen to get Gordon in his team and justifying the money spent. But he can’t do that when he’s injured.
Ahead of the game against Forest, Howe stated that Gordon’s injury was worse than first feared, and that he’s ‘got work to do‘ to be fit for the Manchester United match on April 2nd.
But now it is clear what Gordon is working towards. The sooner he is fit again, the sooner he can take the opportunity that has fallen at his feet.
That would give Howe the opportunity to play Gordon alongside Alexander Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin, which has the potential to be a very exciting front three. Gordon has been described as ‘very fast‘ by former boss Rafa Benitez, and could really thrive alongside the Magpies’ record signing and mercurial Frenchman.