- Newcastle United handed injury blow ahead of Arsenal
- Magpies looking to bounce back from four straight defeats
- Anthony Gordon may not make squad at Emirates Stadium
Newcastle United travel to Arsenal on Saturday evening in desperate need of a result after four straight defeats in all competitions.
The pressure is on Eddie Howe to turn form around before the end of the season, or face losing his job on Tyneside. It’s the manner of defeats which have not helped the Magpies boss, with his side’s character being called into question by fans.
Newcastle have seen points slip late on against AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace since the international break, and the less said about the thrashing to Barcelona and derby day loss to Sunderland, the better.
Anthony Gordon injury update ahead of Arsenal
One player who is taking the brunt of frustration at the moment is Anthony Gordon. The former Everton man is said to be pushing for a move away from St James’ Park with a £75 million price tag put on his head amid interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
Just days after those reports broke, Gordon then missed out against Bournemouth due to a hip injury. The credibility of those claims from the club were questioned by some more cynical Magpies fans.
Now, The Daily Mail reports that Gordon has once again missed training on Tuesday. The winger is said to have first reported the injury last Wednesday and that an issue had been shown on a scan.
It’s not expected to be a season-ending injury but does suggest that the player will miss out against Arsenal. Even with everything going on, that’s a blow for Newcastle.
Gordon is the side’s top scorer across all competitions this season and needs the minutes to ensure he is on the plane to the World Cup this summer. The winger is highly admired by Thomas Tuchel and brings a versatility to both club and country.
Thomas Tuchel: ‘Gordon intensity is so, so good’
Speaking about the player earlier this season, following a goal against Latvia, the England manager said: “I think Anthony deserved to stay in the team. He is a direct player, I think this is his biggest strength, to go direct and go again and again.
“To have this repetition in his intensity. He just collects high intensity runs, he collects metres in sprints and this is so, so good.
“It’s important that he knows his strengths and plays exactly into his strengths. Now we play a high-press and he’s important against the ball. He was clinical today with the first goal that calmed our nerves and set the tone and set the game in the right direction.”
Howe has been less positive about Gordon and admitted that transfer speculation had not helped the side. When asked if the rumours had proven frustrating last week, Howe replied: “I think that comes with the territory.
“I think your best players will be the ones who are linked with high profile moves. It is certainly not helpful to us, it is not something we encourage or we want. We want players who are 100% focused, with no outside noise.
“Outside noise can affect players in different ways. Those players that you mentioned are all super professional, they are great players in their own way, in their own right. We need them to make the difference on the pitch and I would say the same to all the players.”
In other news, Middlesbrough ‘desperate’ to land Newcastle United transfer amid Leeds United interest.
