Anthony Gordon makes Everton claim ahead of Goodison Park return with Newcastle United

Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon insists his return to Everton on Thursday evening is "no different" to any other game.

The 22-year-old makes his second visit to Goodison Park since joining the Magpies in a £45million deal in January. The way in which Gordon departed the Merseyside club angered Evertonians and he was subjected to a hostile reception when introduced as a substitute in April.

It's likely Gordon will be in the starting XI this time around and the winger knows what to expect against the team he previously spent 10 years at.

"This game coming up for me is no different than any of the others. It’s another game I’m looking to perform in and win the game," he told NUFCTV.

"We’re in a really good place. We know the environment we’re going to go into on Thursday so it’s no secret. We need to be ready for that. It’s going to be a challenging game and one we’re looking to win."

It was widely reported that Gordon had refused to train at Finch Farm and even submitted a transfer request in a bid to force a move through to St James' Park. But in an interview earlier this year, he suggested that wasn't true.

"Probably everything from the last year, I think!" said Gordon, when asked if he had ever read anything about himself in the media that wasn't true. "I don't blame the media because it can happen, and they can get fed from outside sources. But yeah, especially with how I got this move and stuff, a lot of that wasn't true. It was misconstrued.

"A lot of media stuff is not true and it's difficult at times being a player because you can't affect public opinion but you learn to block it out and it doesn't really affect me anymore."

Gordon makes the return to Goodison Park in this form of life with Saturday's winning goal against Manchester United his sixth this campaign.

Indeed, there are strong calls for Gareth Southgate to name the Scouse attacker in his England squad for Euro 2024. On Saturday, the Three Lions were drawn into a group of Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia.