Anthony Gordon, a forward for Newcastle, expressed that his main objective is to secure a spot on the England team for Euro 2024 following his debut on the international stage.

Anthony Gordon, the talented young English footballer, is setting his sights on securing a spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros. After making his debut for England against Brazil, Gordon is determined to continue his impressive form. This season has been a turning point for the player, as he also made his UEFA Champions League debut.

Ahead of a crucial league match against West Ham, which will have significant implications for both teams’ European aspirations next season, Gordon spoke with TNT Sports’ Darren Fletcher.

Reflecting on his England debut, Gordon expressed his excitement, stating, “It doesn’t get much better. I thought there were many positives from the game. The whole experience, from the start to playing at Wembley for the first time, was the best experience of my career so far.” However, he quickly shifted his focus to the future, emphasizing his goal of making it to the Euros. Gordon acknowledged that he needs to continue improving to achieve this objective, saying, “I’ve got to get even better than I have been this year to reach that.”

Gordon will face off against Jarrod Bowen when his team, Newcastle, takes on West Ham at St James’ Park. Bowen effectively replaced Gordon in England’s starting lineup for their second friendly against Belgium, which ended in a 2-2 draw. However, Gordon was brought on as a substitute just in time for Jude Bellingham’s 85th-minute equalizer.

Former England internationals Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves weighed in on Gordon’s chances of making the starting XI for England. While both pundits praised Gordon’s recent performances, neither selected him in their strongest lineup. Hargreaves and Cole both included Bellingham, Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Harry Kane in their respective formations. However, they differed in their choices for the remaining positions.

Hargreaves opted for a traditional back four, with Rice, Bellingham, and Foden forming a formidable midfield trio. Marcus Rashford joined Saka and Kane in the attacking lineup, leaving out England’s man of the match against Belgium, Kobbie Mainoo. Nevertheless, Hargreaves acknowledged that the 18-year-old Gordon could still force his way into contention.

Cole, on the other hand, made some changes to the back four, with Walker and Stones forming a central defensive partnership. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Foden were pushed up to the left-wing, making room for James Maddison in central midfield. Cole explained his decision, stating, “I want to get Trent in the team. He’ll rotate into the midfield, and it’ll eventually look like a back three with Gomez, Stones, and Walker. With the players we’ve got, we need to play high up the pitch, so you need speed at the back. We’ve got Foden, Maddison, Trent, Rice, Bellingham, some of the best technicians in world football, but you have to secure the back door.”

Hargreaves and Cole, who both made their England debuts in 2001, emphasized the importance of finding the right balance in the starting XI. They acknowledged that the previous golden generation of English football failed to achieve success due to a lack of balance. Hargreaves expressed his belief that Southgate should learn from this and prioritize balance in his team selection for the Euros.