Newcastle United forced to make Anthony Gordon statement after Alan Shearer & Roy Keane blast
Anthony Gordon was criticised by the likes of Alan Shearer & Roy Keane after being on the bench for Newcastle United’s Champions League draw against Barcelona.
Eddie Howe has been forced to clarify Anthony Gordon’s omission from Newcastle United’s starting XI for their 1-1 draw against Barcelona on Tuesday night.
Gordon was expected to return to the Magpies’ line-up after being rested for last Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round defeat to Manchester City.
The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in this season’s Champions League, four of which came against Qarabag in the last round. Only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (13) has scored more.
However, an illness meant Gordon was only fit enough to make the bench. Will Osula instead got the nod up top before the England international was introduced for the remaining half-hour.
Anthony Gordon criticised by Alan Shearer and Roy Keane
Gordon attracted criticism from Alan Shearer before the game and Roy Keane after it.
Shearer said: “Maybe I’m old school, Les [Ferdinand] might be old school, but if you’re fit enough to train in the morning and I know he doesn’t feel well, but this is Barcelona and Newcastle for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It would take something extraordinary to keep us out of this game tonight.
“To say, I might be able to give you half an hour at the end, I don’t know. Give me half an hour at the beginning and if you’re feeling alright, you get through to half-time. With his pace and his form in the Champions League, he’s going to be a huge miss.”
Keane told The Overlap: “How can you be ill and come on for half an hour? It’s bizarre, isn't it?”
When Gary Neville defended Gordon, Keane added: “Oh Gary, because you did an interview with him last year and you thought he was a really nice lad! How can you be ill, but come on for half an hour?
“You hear managers every week say ‘He’s not fit enough to start, but he’ll be good enough for the bench’. Something might happen after five minutes. I don’t get it. If he’s that important, start him and take him off after half an hour.”
Eddie Howe clarifies Anthony Gordon situation
Following the criticism, Howe, rather unprovoked, made a point of clarifying the situation when he spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea.
Howe said: “Yeah, he trained yesterday, so he feels better. I do have to clear something up with Anthony Gordon. He was absolutely willing to play in the game against Barcelona, there's been a lot of comments.
“It was my decision not to start him, based on the fact that he'd been ill that morning and hadn't attended the training session, so he was prepared to play, but in consultation with the medical team, we didn't think he was fit to play.”