Tuesday night offered yet another dismal display from Gareth Southgate’s England side who could only produce a goalless draw against Slovenia.
Newcastle‘s Anthony Gordon came on for the final minutes to earn himself his first opportunity in the tournament.
The Three Lions have topped their group and secured themselves a spot in the knockout stages with a game against the Netherlands.
However, the group stage games has failed to answer any questions surrounding Southgate’s side as he still struggles to find his best XI.
Eddie Howe and all of Newcastle will have been demanding to see Gordon come on from the bench in all three of England’s games.
But it took until the final minutes of the last group stage game for him to be provided an opportunity and his short cameo was commented on by captain Harry Kane.
What Harry Kane really thought of Anthony Gordon’s England display
The 2023/24 campaign was a seriously impressive one for the 23-year-old winger who shone in his first season at St James’ Park.
Having made the big money move from Everton, there will have been question marks over whether Newcastle had overpaid for a player who had not really shown much consistency at Goodison Park.
However, a return of 12 goals and 11 assists was certainly more than enough to silence any doubters the 23-year-old had.
But it seems as if Southgate has not fully trusted Gordon to provide much of a difference in this summer’s tournament until the dying minutes of Tuesday’s final group stage game.
Having been brought on in the 89th minute of the game, captain Kane provided his assessment of the Newcastle winger’s display.
“I think the boys that came on did really well,” the Bayern Munich striker told ITV.
“They kept the energy high, brought a different type of dimension to the game, and that’s what we need. We need all the guys chipping in whenever they get minutes.”
Anthony Gordon statistics vs Slovenia
He may only have came on for the final minutes of the game, but Gordon did not waste any time in providing England with something different.
The 23-year-old replaced Manchester City’s Phil Foden who is yet to get off the mark in this summer’s Euros.
- 1 minute played
- 4 touches
- 2/2 passes completed
- 1 key pass
England have been crying out for a runner down the left side all tournament but Southgate has failed to provide Gordon with the opportunity.
Perhaps Tuesday nights displays from the likes of Gordon and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer may be enough to change the manager’s mind as the England fans showed their frustrations after full time.