"Nonsense" - Truth behind Newcastle struggles finally settled as Anthony Gordon speaks out
Anthony Gordon has revealed that his early-season struggles have been nothing to do with "all the speculation" and a lot to do with his fitness levels.
Speaking to NUFCTV after signing a new long-term contract at St James' Park, the 23-year-old opened up on a "hard summer" on a personal level, where a series of England snubs impacted him "mentally and physically" ahead of the new 2024/25 season.
Gordon did not refer directly to the Liverpool links or claims his 'head had been turned' at the end of June, but described the speculation as "nonsense", insisting his tough summer with England, lack of pre-season and fitness issues were the key factors behind his slow start to the season.
“The perception was that because I didn’t start well that all the speculation was true when in reality I just wasn’t very fit,” Gordon told NUFCTV. "It’s been quite a hard summer for me, even just getting back to myself... I was sat on the bench the whole summer so it wasn’t easy for me mentally and physically.
"It took me a couple of games to get back into the swing of things, it’s probably still going, but I never had any doubt that I’d start to pick up and get fitter. The more I play, the more confident I feel."
On his personal battles over the summer and false claims in the media, he added: “Mentally is where it's quite hard. Away from family (over the summer) and it's a very lonely place at times. It’s not easy because sometimes your perception from the outside can be guided by information people read and a lot of it is not true, some might be true but a lot of the time it’s not."
“Me knowing this [new contract] was in process and waiting for it to get out there has been hard for me because I’ve wanted to do it for a long time but as I say it’s been quite complicated. Everyone knows I’m committed, which I always have been. I’m happy.”
"I spoke to Eddie Howe a lot over the summer. He had honest conversations with me about the speculation and nonsense. He didn’t want it to affect me for too long. It was about cutting that down. Three or four bad games is not the worst after the summer."
Watch Gordon's full interview with NUFC TV below, where our No.10 speaks brilliantly and offers clarity after a tricky few months on and off the pitch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv9oi1fYI00
