EDDIE HOWE admits Anthony Gordon is not currently performing at his peak levels – but the Magpies boss does not think it will take the winger too much longer to return to top form.
Gordon spent most of the summer in Germany at the Euros, but while England made it all the way to the final under Gareth Southgate, the 23-year-old’s involvement in the tournament was restricted to a single two-minute substitute appearance.
As a result, he was understandably short of match practice when he returned to the fold on Tyneside, with his extended break meaning he only rejoined the Newcastle squad on the eve of the Sela Weekender, which marked the end of the pre-season schedule.
He has featured in all four of the Magpies’ competitive matches so far, but while he scored a valuable equaliser in the draw with Bournemouth, he has looked somewhat rusty.
Howe feels that is understandable, and while the Magpies boss will be hoping Gordon is able to get some more minutes under his belt during England’s forthcoming Nations League double-header against Ireland and Finland, he is confident one of his star performers will be sparkling again soon.
“Anthony has had an unusual summer by his standards,” said Howe. “He had a long stretch at the Euros where he didn’t play, so naturally that’s a long period without game sharpness and everything that you need to get.
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“Then, he comes in for us, he has a two-week pre-season – pre-seasons are usually five to six weeks – so I think it’s clear that Anthony is slightly off on his normal fitness levels, especially where he was last year when he worked tirelessly to get into the best physical shape he could be.
“At the moment, we're trying to get him fit in the games, we’re trying to leave him on the pitch as long as we can knowing that we can’t really train him because we’ve had a busy spell, so he’s getting his fitness from the matches, which is never ideal. But he will be fine. As long as he stays injury-free, we’ll get him up to speed quickly.”
Sandro Tonali is another player gradually recovering his match sharpness after a lengthy period of inactivity.
The Italian, who is also currently on international duty, was sidelined for ten months after admitting to breaching betting regulations, with his return to action coming in last week’s Carabao Cup victory at Nottingham Forest.
He was a second-half substitute in Sunday’s league win over Tottenham, and as is the case with Gordon, Howe is confident Tonali’s performance levels will rapidly start improving once he gets some more matches under his belt.
“Like a number of our players, he’s (Tonali) got some work to do,” said Howe. “He’ll be pleased with his two contributions – the contribution he made last Wednesday (against Forest), which was really good, and then again (against Spurs).
“A Premier League game was very different to the Nottingham Forest game. When he came onto the pitch we were in need of a spark, and I felt that with the other substitutes, he gave us that.”
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