What Eddie Howe said about Anthony Gordon after latest injury blow for Newcastle
Anthony Gordon suffered an injury scare as Newcastle against Athletic Bilbao in a Champions League clash at St James’ Park.
Newcastle went ahead early on against their La Liga opponents on Wednesday (5 November) as Dan Burn turned home a Kieran Trippier free-kick.
Joelinton doubled the hosts’ lead in the second-half and they held on to win 2-0 and continue their strong Champions League form.
Prior to that, Anthony Gordon seriously struggled to impress against Bilbao as he was forced off just before the interval after a few minutes of holding his hip while looking in pain.
The England international was forced off at half-time in the Magpies’ last league clash against West Ham, so all connected to the club will have been concerned to see similar happen this time around too.
What Howe said about Gordon after new injury scare
Eddie Howe admitted following Newcastle’s 3-1 loss to West Ham that Gordon had been “feeling his hip slightly,” and that looked to be the case once again as he went off against Athletic.
The Newcastle boss explained his latest issue to the media following Wednesday’s clash, saying: “I’ve not spoke to him and I haven’t really had a full rundown from the medical team.
“It seems like a reoccurrence of his hip injury that has been plaguing him in recent weeks. We’ll assess that and see what damage is there.”
Gordon’s lack of form is a ‘major problem’ for Newcastle right now
Aside from his injury concerns, Gordon has struggled to make his mark so far this season in terms of contributing to goals and wins for Newcastle.
The 24-year-old is yet to score or assist in the Premier League, but had registered five goal contributions in three Champions League appearances prior to his dismal showing against Athletic.
Well-connected former Man United chief scout Mick Brown has revealed to Football Insider that Gordon’s poor form is a real issue for Newcastle as they view him as a financial asset and a key player on the pitch too.
Liverpool have previously been linked to Gordon, but he has failed to score in his last 19 Premier League outings, and is now showing weakness from an injury point of view that will worry Newcastle as they aim to qualify for the Champions League once more this season.