Why Gareth Southgate hardly used Newcastle star Anthony Gordon for England at UEFA Euro 2024

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Many England fans wanted to see more of Newcastle No.10 Anthony Gordon at UEFA Euro 2024 during the summer.

Gareth Southgate only handed the winger one minute of action at the tournament in Germany, which came in the 0-0 draw against Slovakia in Group C, leaving him on the bench for the other six games.

Now – thanks to the Telegraph – some insight has been provided as to why Newcastle star Anthony Gordon hardly played for England at UEFA Euro 2024…

Gareth Southgate felt Anthony Gordon was not 100% focused

Luke Edwards of the Telegraph has now revealed the slightly odd reason behind the 23-year-old’s lack of UEFA Euro 2024 action.

It is said that Gordon told many of his England teammates that a summer switch to Liverpool was definitely going to happen, as Newcastle found themselves in need of cash to appease Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

However, Southgate felt the Liverpool-born winger had become distracted by a potential move to Anfield, and decided against using a player who was not 100% focused at a major tournament.

In our view, that is a strange outlook.

Gordon – who Jamie Carragher recently called “one of the best” around – is believed to be a Liverpool supporter, so surely, he would have been desperate to shine for England when called upon at UEFA Euro 2024 amid rumours of a move to Anfield, in order to make sure he gave Arne Slot no reason to call the transfer off.

Eventually, Newcastle raised the required cash through selling Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, ensuring talks with Liverpool collapsed.

Liverpool may no longer be interested

At this point in the summer, there were doubts over the future of Luis Diaz at Anfield – a player who operates on the left flank, like Gordon.

As such, it felt like Liverpool were planning to sign Gordon as a direct replacement for the Colombia international.

Now – however – after Diaz scored five goals in his first five Premier League games of the season, it would be a major shock if Liverpool allowed the South American to go elsewhere anytime soon.

Of course, that does not mean a move for Gordon is now dead and buried, but it could well suggest the Reds are less interested in spending heavily on a new left winger.