THESE are early days in Anthony Gordon’s Newcastle United career, but up until now, the standout moments of the 22-year-old’s time on Tyneside are incidents he would probably rather forget.

The touchline strop at Brentford after he had been substituted as a substitute. The starts against Manchester City and Aston Villa in which he was unable to prevent Newcastle slipping to a pair of away defeats. The pre-match jeering that accompanied his return to Goodison Park last Thursday.

At least, after Sunday, he has his first win as part of the Magpies’ starting line-up, although it didn’t really feel like that given that he was unceremoniously substituted at half-time with his side trailing 1-0 to Southampton and spent the second half watching the player that replaced him, Callum Wilson, inspire a successful fightback by scoring two goals.

Gordon’s two main contributions to the Southampton win were an early shot that flashed into the side-netting and a 19th-minute strike that was rolled against the outside of the post when he was released into the penalty area behind the Saints defence.

It would be unfair to suggest that the 22-year-old has flopped since completing his £45m move from Merseyside in January, but it is safe to say that his first four months as a Newcastle player have not really gone to plan.

“We've seen glimpses of unbelievable potential,” countered Magpies head coach Eddie Howe, when asked to assess Gordon’s impact so far. “I've got no doubts – I've said this previously – that he'll be a top player for us. Sometimes, these things take a little bit longer for everyone else to see, but I've got no doubts.”

Perhaps Gordon simply needs the opportunity to spend a full pre-season working with Howe and the rest of Newcastle’s coaching staff in order to properly fit into the team and squad his head coach is assembling on Tyneside.

January moves can be notoriously tricky, and Gordon could have been excused a certain degree of rustiness when he arrived in the North-East given that he had effectively downed tools with Everton in order to force through his move to the Magpies. Gordon did not play at all between the middle of November and Boxing Day, and then only featured in one league game between the start of the year and his Newcastle debut on February 4. A mid-season break can aid with rest and recuperation, but it can also halt momentum.

The Northern Echo: Newcastle United midfielder Anthony GordonNewcastle United midfielder Anthony Gordon (Image: PA)

Howe’s tactics and way of working, particularly when it comes to Newcastle’s high-pressing and intensive midfield approach, are fairly unique, so it is hardly a surprise that Gordon has struggled to slip seamlessly into his new surrounds. A full pre-season would surely help, and if he is looking for inspiration when it comes to gradually improving in a black-and-white shirt, he only needs glance around the dressing room to see the likes of Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, players who blossomed after their own slow starts at St James’ Park.

“Signing in January is very difficult, notoriously - but I wouldn't say it hasn't clicked,” said Howe. “Brentford, he came on and changed the game. It was an outstanding performance (against Southampton), there were some really, really good bits in there, so I wouldn't say it hasn't – Manchester City, he had our best chance of the game.

“But I do think there are moments where Anthony needs to look and reflect and go, 'When I do get the outward headlines that my performances deserve, I'll look back at these moments', and I think they'll be really good for him, actually.”

It feels as though the forward just needs a moment to really spark his Newcastle career into life – a goal, ideally, or perhaps just the kind of explosive run that enabled Alexander Isak to hog the headlines at Everton last week.

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It might well have come on Sunday had Gordon’s first-half shot clipped the inside of the post rather than the outside, and while Howe insists his decision to replace the January signing at the interval was solely down to the need to create a gap for Wilson to fill rather than a reflection of his first-half efforts, there is no doubt that Gordon struggled to exert much of a positive influence after his miss.

Whereas most of his attacking team-mates are in a rich vein of form that means they expect to score or do something positive every time they have the ball at their feet, perhaps Gordon’s confidence has taken an understandable knock as he approaches the end of a somewhat chaotic season.

“It's difficult for me to comment on Anthony's behalf,” said Howe. “Did that miss affect him mentally? Possibly. It shouldn't have done, though, in my opinion because the chance was all of his own creation - his pace, his speed, the timing of his run, some brilliant characteristics that will serve us really well here in the future.

“As I say, I thought he was at the heart of all of our good bits of play (in the first half), so it may sound like a contradiction, but I thought he performed really well. But someone had to be sacrificed.”

At least, on this occasion, he took his substitution with good grace. Gordon’s spikiness is an integral part of his make-up, but Howe was clearly unhappy with the display of petulance that greeted his decision to take off the forward in the dying seconds at Brentford and has spelled out in no uncertain terms that he is unwilling to accept a repeat.

“His reaction to being taken off was very good, if there can be a very good reaction to it,” said Howe. “Obviously internally, I suspect, he was very disappointed, but he didn't let that show. There was no outward sign of a negative reaction to that, which you need in that situation.

“I think there's an understanding now with five substitutes, managers, in my opinion - and I will - will continue to act early. It's not always a reflection of the performance of the player.”