Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon’s reaction to being substituted in their 2-1 victory over Brentford last weekend at the Gtech Community Stadium ‘doesn’t look good’, journalist Dean Jones has informed GIVEMESPORT.
The England Under-21 international was brought to St James’ Park for a fee of £45 million from Everton in January in a deal that made him the second-most expensive signing in club history.
Newcastle United latest news – Anthony Gordon and Eddie Howe
Last weekend, Gordon was brought on at half-time and helped inspire a comeback victory for the Magpies; however, he was then taken off by Eddie Howe with seconds of the match left to go, sparking a furious reaction towards his manager as he left the field.
Chronicle Live cite that Howe has now moved to explain what happened on Saturday, as the 45-year-old boss stated: “From my side, there was 30 seconds left and he was down holding his ankle, so I put an experienced player on the pitch. It is no reflection on his time on the pitch.”
Despite clearing up concerns of a potential rift between the two, Howe did also warn Gordon that he needs to keep his feelings in check moving forward, stating: “He just needs to control his emotions in that moment, but there are no problems.”
The 22-year-old has made seven appearances for Newcastle United since joining from boyhood club Everton, though he has failed to register a goal or assist in black and white, as per Transfermarkt.
Aside from this incident, the Toon sit third in the Premier League table with nine matches to go and could cap off a fantastic season by qualifying for the Champions League if they finish in the top four.
What has Dean Jones said about Anthony Gordon and Eddie Howe?
Journalist Jones acknowledges that the optics of the incident aren’t brilliant; however, he understands that emotions are heightened in elite football, which may lead to impassioned reactions from time to time.
Jones told GMS: “I think it’s just an emotional blow-up; we’ve seen this happen 1000 times with players showing their fury at a substitution or snubbing a manager’s handshake. It doesn’t look good at all when you’re watching it from afar, but within a football dressing room and in a football environment, it’s not that strange. Things happen in training every single day that we don’t see.”
Will a line now be drawn under the incident at Newcastle United?
It looks likely that will be the case and you’ve got to praise Howe for his handling of the situation and the way he’s not made it a bigger deal than some people have made out.
Gordon is a passionate player that will have aspirations of going on to play a major role for Newcastle United both for the remainder of this season and in years to come. On this occasion, frustration may have got the better of him, but it’s not exactly the first time a player has felt hard done by being substituted.
Drawing a line under the event looks to be the best way forward for both parties as the Magpies look to finish the 2022/23 campaign with a flourish.
