Alan Shearer has issued his verdict on the cameo from Anthony Gordon after the Newcastle United star had to wait until the final minutes to come on for England in another frustrating draw at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions finished top of their group in Germany, but they go into the knockout stages with very little momentum after uninspiring stalemates with both Denmark and Slovenia.
England needed a victory on Tuesday night to guarantee top spot, so it was perhaps surprising to see just one change, with Conor Gallagher coming in for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Then again, Gareth Southgate’s critics will probably suggest that they expected little else.
They were in a vulnerable position as stoppage-time loomed at the end of the second-half against Slovenia. Jan Oblak had been given little to do, and a winner for Denmark in the other game would have sent England onto what appears to be the tougher side of the draw.
Alan Shearer asks Anthony Gordon question after lacklustre England draw
Southgate did hand Anthony Gordon his first minutes of the tournament, however, the Newcastle star only came on for the final few moments in Cologne.
Gordon was able to make more of an impact than most of his teammates, even when he dribbled the ball out of play with his first touch. Ultimately, it was a level of intensity England fans had barely seen all evening.
He then produced a stunning pass in a move which led to Cole Palmer getting a shot away. And speaking on The Rest Is Football, Alan Shearer admitted that he is baffled to see Gordon not feature more.
He said: “What’s Gordon done against him?
“Because given him two or three minutes, I think Gordon did more in two or three minutes on the left-hand side than we’ve shown in two and a half games, I think, with forward passing, with a bit of energy, with a bit of class, a bit of know-how. I mean, that move that England played was probably the best move they had with Gordon passing it in, ending up with Palmer having the shot at goal. Other than that, I can’t think of too many positives, no.”
Newcastle legend unlikely to be the only one baffled
You could definitely sense a feeling of disappointment when news emerged that the only change would involve Gallagher replacing Alexander-Arnold.
For many England fans, it appears obvious to drop Jude Bellingham back closer to Declan Rice, with Phil Foden moving into the middle, and then either Cole Palmer or Gordon coming in.
Gordon scored 11 goals and contributed 10 assists in the Premier League for Newcastle last year. So, while there was always a question mark over whether he would start this tournament, it does seem bizarre that he goes into the knockout stages with so little game-time.