ANTHONY Gordon is in a "good place" at Newcastle United despite his summer of uncertainty and the ongoing links with Liverpool.

It's been a strange summer for the former Everton forward, who had the delight of being named in the England squad for the European Championship only to hardly kick a ball for Gareth Southgate's side in Germany.

And while the tournament was taking place, Gordon's Newcastle future was plunged into doubt when the Magpies faced a dash against the clock to raise enough funds to ensure they didn't fall foul of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability regulations.

Liverpool and Newcastle held talks over Gordon but the Magpies were desperate to keep one of the star assets and eventually raised the funds required from other sales.

Liverpool have continued to be linked with Gordon but Howe is confident Gordon hasn't been affected by the ongoing speculation.

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He said: "I’ve seen Anthony come back in a good place. Especially this past week, he had a really short training period before that first game.

"We put him in as he’s a difference maker, it takes the younger players less time to get up to speed but I think this week he has looked back to his best."

Howe admits he can't guarantee Gordon or Newcastle's other stars won't move on ahead of Friday's deadline but there's a fierce desperation to keep the club's key assets at St James' Park.

"I have been in the game too long to make those statements," said Howe.

"What I will say is from my part and the club’s part we will do everything we can to keep our best players but I am not a fortune teller."

Despite his lack of action for England in Germany, Howe believes Gordon will have benefited from the experience.

He said: "I think that there’s two ways to look at that. The Euros will have been an incredible experience for him. The first time that he will have been with England for any length of time and I'm sure he’ll have learned, seen and experienced a lot from that.

"Sometimes, we all have this vision of the fairytale ending, you go in and help win your country the tournament at the first time, but life is rarely like that.

"Anthony will have seen a lot and hopefully use that for next time that he’s involved."