Anthony Gordon is offering England a different option on Under-21 duty - and Newcastle United are set to benefit next season. The £40m January addition may have struggled to make an impact on Tyneside so far but has enjoyed a flying start to the U21 European Championships after helping himself to a goal and an assist in the opening two group games.
Gordon has been used as a centre forward by U21 boss Lee Carsley and netted a striker's header on Sunday as the Young Lions saw off Israel's youngsters. The 22-year-old's new-found freedom through the middle has worked wonders so far and will no doubt be giving Eddie Howe food for thought ahead of Newcastle's pre-season work.
Explaining why he has started using Gordon as England's focal point, Carsley explained: "We’ve tried to come up with two or three ways of exploiting the opposition. We’ll try and find gaps and spaces. It surprises me that there is surprise (at his team selection). The players nowadays are multi-functional.
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"I see that we’ve got a lot of players within this squad that can do different roles. Part of the squad selection was having that flexibility to play with a different kind of nine (striker).
"I see pretty much any of the forward players, whether they’re wide players or forwards, being able to do that nine. You get a different type of nine with Anthony than you would with Cole (Palmer) or Curtis (Jones) or Emile (Smith Rowe). We’ve got plenty of options."
Howe experimented with Gordon in a central midfield role on the final day of the season at Stamford Bridge. The Magpies star netted his first goal as a result as Newcastle were held to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Knowing Gordon can occupy multiple positions will be a huge boost for Newcastle next season and the attacker's pre-season form is whetting the appetite for next season. “It was an important moment for [Gordon]. He contributed to that first half, took his goal very well and is a player of undoubted ability. We want that to continue next year," Howe said of Gordon after the Stamford Bridge draw.
