FOR Anthony Gordon, the first few months at Newcastle United was a rather sobering experience.

Having finally completed the move to St James' Park that he so desired late in the January window last year, the forward had to wait more than a month to make his debut at Manchester City only to pick up an injury that ruled him out for almost a month.

On his return to action, his first Newcastle start at home to Southampton lasted just 45 minutes before he was hooked at half-time and he wouldn't start again for the Magpies until the final day draw at Chelsea.

Gordon would later admit he wasn't fit enough to cope with Howe's demands and during his time away with England's Under-21s in the summer talked about his "difficult" introduction to life at Newcastle. He would, he promised be "on it" in his first full season at the club - and the 22-year-old has been true to his word.

Gordon was Man of the Match in the 8-0 dismantling of Sheffield United on Sunday, a performance that led Howe to say he's "sure" the former Everton forward will be on Gareth Southgate's England radar. And, excitingly for Newcastle, Howe says there's still "so much more to come" from Gordon.

But there's also a transfer lesson to be learned - the importance of patience. In a radio interview with the BBC this week, defender Dan Burn talked about the need to give new arrivals time to adapt to Howe's specific tactical demands.

Gordon provides recent evidence. And Howe is also happy to play the waiting game with his summer signings.

Sandro Tonali is still adapting to life at Newcastle, Harvey Barnes - who now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines - made just his second start for the club at Sheffield United on Sunday while Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are still awaiting their first starts, which could well come in Wednesday night's Carabao Cup third round clash against Manchester City.

"We say when we sign players there needs to be patience. As much as you want them to come in and be outstanding from minute one, that's very rare," says Howe.

"Sometimes there's a bedding in period, sometimes it takes longer than others. Patience is an undervalued quality.

“They (Livramento and Hall) are both young players with potential but we need to be careful with both of them and manage them correctly so they give their best when they play.

"Without talking specifically about Sandro, I think with any new player, especially for someone coming from abroad, it's more difficult. Young players it's difficult because we have built the way we play over the length of time we've been here. Some players pick it up quicker than others but for some it does take a bit of time to understand some of the things that we do and the relationships between the team and the patterns we play with.

"I just think that's natural. Sometimes from the outside that can seem difficult to comprehend and they want new signings thrust in to the team, I understand that.

"But I will always pick what I believe is the strongest team and sometimes people maybe struggle to understand the concept. But when I can see the penny starting to drop and players playing with the quality that we need, hopefully they won't look back."

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The penny has undoubtedly now dropped for Gordon.

"Pre-season did him really good, but as did the six months he had with us before the break because he came back in with a much greater understanding," said Howe.

"Anthony has so much potential, we really feel he can push on. There's so much more to work on and improve but his qualities are outstanding."

More performances like the one at Sheffield United will undoubtedly lead to a senior England call-up for Gordon, but Howe wants his forward to just focus on the here and now.

He said: "I haven’t spoken to him about England in any depth, more so his success in the summer leading his country to a tournament win. He is very passionate about his career, I see that every day, and if that (England) is at the forefront of his mind, then great. But I just want him to focus on maintaining his momentum and good form and the areas he has to improve."