Eddie Howe addresses Anthony Gordon 'issue' on back of Liverpool transfer speculation

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has attempted to explain Anthony Gordon 's slow start to the season, with the young winger yet to hit the heights he reached last term.

The season is still in its early stages, but it is clear that Gordon is yet to settle into the new campaign , despite scoring an equalising goal in Newcastle's draw with Bournemouth last month.

Gordon scored 12 goals and registered 11 assists for Newcastle last season, and that form earned him a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2024.

However, it was a disappointing summer on a personal level for Gordon as he barely figured for the Three Lions on their route to the final in Germany.

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Gordon also had to contend with a transfer to Liverpool failing to materialise. The Athletic reported that Liverpool had agreed to pay £75million ($98m) for Gordon early on in the transfer window, with Joe Gomez set to move to Newcastle in return for £45million ($59m).

Newcastle did not want Gordon to leave, with both Howe and new Magpies sporting director Paul Mitchell keen for him to remain at St James' Park, but had sought to raise funds before June 30 in order to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules for the preceding 12-month period.

However, Newcastle ended up selling other players instead, with Yankuba Minteh departing to Brighton for £33million ($41.7m) and Elliot Anderson joining Nottingham Forest for £35million ($44.4m).

Those two sales meant that Newcastle was no longer under pressure to sell Gordon and the club subsequently pulled out of the Gordon and Gomez deals.

All of that meant Gordon's preparations for the new season were far from ideal, and Howe suggested he probably went into the new season with something of a mental hangover.

Asked what the "issue" was with Gordon after he struggled again in Newcastle's win over Tottenham on Sunday, Howe responded: “Anthony’s had an unusual summer by his standards, a long stretch at the Euros where he didn’t play so naturally that’s a long period without game sharpness and everything you need to get.

“Then he comes in for us, he has a two week pre-season, which is usually five to six weeks so I think it is 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 and leave him on the pitch as long as we can knowing we can’t really train him because we have a busy spell which is never ideal but he will be fit, touch wood, as long as he stays injury free we’ll get him up to speed quickly.”