Newcastle United forward likened to Man City and Real Madrid stars after England defeat

Alan Shearer has named Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon as one of three players that impressed him during England’s weekend defeat against Brazil.

The Magpies forward has hit the best form of his young career this season after scoring ten goals and providing seven assists in 40 appearances in all competitions - and that form earned him a maiden senior call-up to the England squad for a friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium.

Despite his club form, there was still an element of surprise when Gordon was named in the starting eleven for Saturday’s meeting with a Brazil side containing United team-mate Bruno Guimaraes - but the former Everton star produced an eye-catching display and received praise from Magpies legend Shearer for his performance in the defeat.

Speaking on The Rest is Football Podcast, the former United captain said: “I thought the best three players for England on the night were, in no particular order, Anthony Gordon, John Stones and Jude Bellingham.

“I thought Jude Bellingham, particularly in the first-half, was on a different level to everyone else. He got kicked to pieces every time he got they ball. They fouled him because they knew what a danger he was. I through John Stones was excellent and I thought Anthony Gordon did everything he could do. He looked a threat, he worked so hard, he tried to cut inside on his right foot and had a couple of dangerous efforts so I think he was without doubt one of the few positives on the night. He can be very pleased with his debut.”

Former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Micah Richards also paid tribute to Gordon and believes the progress the forward has made over the last 12 months deserves more recognition after he moved on from an underwhelming start to life at St James Park in fine fashion.

He said: “If you look back a year ago, he was at Everton and things were up and down. It was treated by Everton fans as ‘if you want to go then go’. He was linked with Chelsea for big money and everyone was talking about him not being worth anywhere near that money. Then he goes to Newcastle and performs after last year being the player of the tournament for the 21s and just focused on his game.

“That needs a lot of praise because that shows character and that shows you, even in difficult times, you can overcome them and believe in your ability. I have to give him credit for that and to go to a big stage and still perform against Brazil at Wembley, to have the character to do that, I thought, yeah, fair play to you.”