Former Everton forward Anthony Gordon has claimed that he has been left hurt by the lack of appreciation he was shown by his childhood club after leaving Goodison Park in January.
The 22-year-old played a big part in helping the Blues beat relegation season but after coming close to leaving the club in the summer for Chelsea, he eventually joined Newcastle United in the winter transfer window for an initial fee of £40m.
Gordon has made four appearances for the Magpies since his big-money move but is yet to taste victory. And the Everton Academy graduate has now revealed how difficult it was to leave his boyhood club in far from ideal circumstances.
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Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports, Gordon said: "My whole life has been at Everton. I grew up in Everton, I wasn't going out with friends and stuff when I was young. I was always in Everton, so it was a massive place in my heart and in my life, which I'll never forgot. From afar I'll always be rooting for them, I'll always wishing them the best."
When asked how difficult things got for him on Merseyside when it became apparent that he was leaving the club, amid a run of poor form on the field that led to manager Frank Lampard's sacking, Gordon said: "I think it is really difficult. Once things like that happen it's hard to recover from, especially because I'm from there. I grew up on those streets."
Gordon issued a heartfelt statement to supporters on his exit from Merseyside. But Everton's own statement confirming his departure was the complete opposite. It is something he admits has upset him.
Gordon added: "Yeah, it did. It hurt me a bit, I'm not going to lie to you. I thought, I'm a 22-year-old lad, I'm not going to handle every situation perfectly, but as a club with thousands of people working for them, I think the effort I gave them last year, I was a massive part in keeping the club up. I won Players' Player of the Year, Manager's Player of the Year. For them to not really show me any credit or thank me a little bit, it hurt me a bit, yeah."
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