Anthony Gordon started his first ever game for Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, but it turned out to be a difficult afternoon for him.
With Sean Longstaff missing out due to injury, Gordon was drafted in to take his place. He started on the left of Newcastle‘s front three, and was heavily involved in the opening 45 minutes.
The 22-year-old saw a lot of the ball and got in some really dangerous positions. However, he was wasteful in the final third. Gordon had two brilliant chances, both of which he failed to hit the target with.
When Callum Wilson came out early to warm up during the half time break, it was clear that Eddie Howe was going to make a change. And when the players re-emerged from the tunnel, it became apparent that Gordon was the one to be hooked.
It was a decision that paid off, with Wilson scoring twice to help Newcastle come from behind and win 3-1. Without Gordon, the Magpies were much better.
While the win is all that matters, that will have disappointed the winger. Now a new report from the Telegraph suggests that his time in the starting XI could already be about to come to an end.
Sean Longstaff return is bad news for Anthony Gordon
According to the Telegraph, Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin are going to return to full training ahead of our next game against Arsenal.
That is bad news for Gordon, who now looks certain to return to the bench.
While Saint-Maximin is unlikely to walk straight back into the starting XI, Longstaff surely will. He has been ‘amazing‘ this season, and proved to be a major miss when he was unavailable. We were rotten without him away to Aston Villa, while we lacked intensity at times against Southampton on Sunday.
Against a team like Arsenal, Eddie Howe will be desperate to start Longstaff. So with the Telegraph stating that the 25-year-old is going to return to training, it feels inevitable that he will walk straight back into the side.
Gordon is the most at risk, as his tough start to life on Tyneside continues. He will likely have to settle for a role off the bench, as he continues to get up to speed in a black and white shirt.