Newcastle United dealt ‘absolute killer’ £132m blow ahead of West Ham clash

Eddie Howe has labelled Anthony Gordon’s one-match suspension an “absolute killer” as he faces a trip to West Ham United without a recognised left forward.

Gordon was shown his fifth Premier League yellow card of the season during the early stages of Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, which will force him to sit out against the Hammers next Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who moved to Tyneside in January for £45million from Everton, has been one of the Magpies’ star performers this term having scored two goals and provided the same number of assists.

Asked about Gordon’s ban, Howe told NewcastleWorld : “It’s [Gordon’s suspension] an absolute killer for us because Anthony’s been in great form. He’s been excellent and added so much to the team, so you don’t want to take that out, especially with the rhythm that he’s in.

“It then goes into the fact that it’s an international break after that, so it’s going to be quite a while that he won’t play for. It’s a big blow, and probably a needless yellow card.”

And the timing couldn’t be much worse with Howe facing a somewhat selection crisis on the left side of attack.

Newcastle are already without £38m summer signing Harvey Barnes for the next three months because of a foot problem while Joelinton is a doubt for the visit to the London Stadium after his afternoon versus Burnley was abruptly cut short.

Although Joelinton is predominantly a midfielder, the Brazilian did play a lot of last season there. He made 32 appearances and netted six times as United went on to secure Champions League qualification.

Jacob Murphy, a right winger, is in line to start in the capital but first, Howe’s focus in on the Champions League clash at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.