Alan Shearer points out what contributed to £45M Toon star's dismal show for England

Coming on the back of a star-making 2023/24 campaign much was expected for ace winger Anthony Gordon in the new season; however, things haven't gone the way Toon fans had expected. Although the 23-year-old has had a couple of remarkable performances this season, he has failed to live up to the expectations on other occasions. Having had a nightmare of a matchday against Everton, Gordon's poor form continued for his national team.

Alan Shearer points out what contributed to £45M Toon star's dismal show for England

Being one of the excellent performers in England's Nations League campaign so far, the Toon star was handed his 3rd consecutive start for the nation. However, this decision of interim manager Lee Carsley didn't align well with his tactic to start no conventional forwards upfront. Ultimately, Gordon failed to leave any significant impact on the left flank, contributing to England's 1-2 loss to Greece.

However, while certainly the 23-year-old forward wasn't convincing for the Three Lions, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has pointed out what aggravated the player's poor display. Being neutral enough, Shearer, while acknowledging Gordon's dismal performance, mentioned Carsley's major mistake of putting Saka and Gordon on the flanks without a proper forward in Kane's absence.

Shearer mentioned,

"“What didn’t help Saka and Gordon is a lot of the times when they get the ball, they go at their wingers. I was thinking, ‘Go on, get at them,’ but then I thought if you’ve got no one in the box anyway, as there’s no forward anyway. That’s not defending them because I don’t think either of them had a good game.”"

- Alan Shearer

While certainly having one of the most talented stars out of form is a serious concern for the Magpies club, they have a lot more worries from this result. Since Gareth Southgate resigned from the managerial role, there have been speculations about manager Howe being one of the possible candidates to be called up for the role. Although interim manager Lee Carsley had been brilliant in his job till now, this recent loss against Greece could have serious reflections on his future.

Thus, while on one hand, Anthony Gordon's poor run has been a major issue for Newcastle, being in the possibility of losing manager Howe is a more serious one. While there had been speculations of Carsley being almost confirmed in the role, England's recent loss has opened many unwanted possibilities. Newcastle fans would hope that ultimately Carsley gets the permanent role, with them continuing with manager Howe.