Anthony Gordon is making waves after his move from Newcastle, showcasing his talents with Barcelona. He left his mark in the 7-0 thrashing of Croatia and has netted in every one of his last four outings for England.
Settled on the left wing under Thomas Tuchel, Gordon has already provided five assists for the Catalan giants, though he is still searching for his first goal.
Alan Shearer believes that while at Newcastle, we only glimpsed the level of quality Gordon is capable of:
At Newcastle, we saw just flashes of how good Anthony Gordon can be.
It seemed to me that he wanted to leave; that was noticeable. Now, he’s full of energy, and you can see his desire to play. It’s clear he enjoys the new environment, he’s happy at Barcelona, and he’s satisfied with his move.
Shearer emphasised that the transformations in Gordon’s game are evident:
You can tell from his performances. Last season at Newcastle, we probably didn’t see that enough.
And that’s perfectly fine. Everyone has the right to decide what they want from their career. It’s clear now that he’s thriving, both with England and at Barcelona.
Interestingly, Shearer and Gordon have had a rocky relationship in the past. The former striker was critical of Gordon after the winger missed the first leg of the Champions League tie against Barcelona due to illness, stating that he wouldn’t have allowed himself to miss such a crucial match.
Gordon later hit back at the criticism, calling the comments around the situation "rubbish." Just a few days later, he scored the decisive goal against Chelsea.
Tuchel also believes that Gordon has noticeably improved since his move to Barcelona.
The England manager commented:
He’s playing much more aggressively and with more confidence now.
I see a player who is fully confident in himself and his abilities. He’s stepped up to another level. In all three matches, he’s been crucial for the team.
Recent performances have certainly backed up Tuchel’s words, with Gordon emerging as a key player on the left wing, finding the net for England in four consecutive matches.
