Anthony Gordon reveals why he returned early to Newcastle United - and it has nothing to do with Eddie Howe

Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon has revealed the real reason he returned early from holidays to join Eddie Howe’s pre-season preparations.

Gordon joined Newcastle on a £45million deal from Everton last season, and he made the switch amid plenty of criticism from those at Goodison Park. The 22-year-old was accused of putting himself before his club and not showing enough fight amid the Toffees’ struggles last season.

But Gordon has been given a fresh start at St James’ Park, hoping to become one of the stars of Eddie Howe’s exciting project.

The youngster featured regularly in the second half of last season before jetting off for international duty during the summer. Gordon won the under-21s Euros with England during the summer, and he was meant to have extra time off to allow for holidays after that tournament.

But soon after, Gordon linked up with Newcastle to join pre-season training, and he is, of course, part of the club’s USA tour this summer. Though, the decision has very little to do with performance or hoping to win over Howe in a bid to get ahead.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Gordon revealed that his four-legged friends were behind his decision, saying: “I was missing my dogs too much, so I didn’t want to go away again.”

Gordon will have increased competition this summer following the signing of Harvey Barnes, while Miguel Almiron will want to maintain his good form, along with Jacob Murphy and one of Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, with one of those players potentially playing wide. Gordon did show progression last season as he began to get used to Howe’s style of play, and it will be interesting to see what he will look like after a full pre-season with his new boss, and indeed with his new teammates.