Anthony Gordon will prove himself to be a 'very good asset' for Newcastle United if he knuckles down and focuses on his game following a difficult start. That is the view of Magpies legend Warren Barton, who heaped praise on the England youth international after he gave a revealing interview on his struggles at St James' Park so far.
Eddie Howe landed Gordon at the second attempt, with Newcastle following up their summer interest to land the 22-year-old as Chris Wood's replacement in January. The forward had fallen out of favour under Frank Lampard amid growing toxicity at Everton, and faced heavy criticism after being accused of engineering an exit from his boyhood club.
Gordon was cup-tied and unable to feature in Newcastle's run to the Carabao Cup final, and found starting opportunities limited in the Premier League run-in. Following several near-misses, the attacker did manage to open his account in black-and-white with a goal in the final-day draw at Chelsea.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Gordon admitted he was facing a 'big summer' after opening up on his struggles to hit the ground running on Tyneside. Newcastle's number eight is currently starring for England's under-21s in the European Championships, and started as a striker in the opening group-stage victory over the Czech Republic.
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Competition for places on the Magpies' left flank is fierce, with Alexander Isak, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin and Joe Willock all filling the role in recent months. Barton feels Howe's man-management has kept Gordon clear of any 'waste of money' arguments so far, and believes the mindset he showed in the club interview shows he has the work ethic required to prove himself a success for United.
He told ChronicleLive: "I was so impressed by his honesty when he gave the interview to NUFC TV. Don't forget, he left a club in a lot of turmoil and was getting a lot of criticism for how he handled his move.
"He's come into a team which is fit, strong, athletic, his fitness levels weren't there. He's had to show character, it can be lonely as a player if you don't get into the first-team as you thought, you have to earn the right.
"But Eddie has never lost faith in him, and I think that's one of the things people don't understand with Eddie. His man-management skills have been excellent. He's probably said to Gordon you're not ready yet, you might get injured, you might have a setback and you're out even longer then and people start saying it's a waste of money.
"But to get the goal will give him self-belief. He said it himself he's got a busy summer, he's going to train, he's going to work hard. If that kid screws his head on and focuses on being a football player, he's at a great club who will look after him. If he looks at the lights and anything else, then this train will keep moving and he'll get off at the next stop.
"It's great he's got that maturity, and I'm sure he's got some players putting their arms around him saying you've got the talent and the potential, now fulfil it. I think he's going to be a very good asset to the club going forward, because he's got the gift of being quick."
