Head coach Eddie Howe says it was his decision not to start Anthony Gordon against Barcelona after the unwell Newcastle United forward was criticised by pundits.
Gordon was criticised by a number of figures in the game – including Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane – having not been in the starting line-up for the first leg of Newcastle‘s Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona on Tuesday.
Shearer, speaking before it was known that Gordon had missed training, said it would take “something extraordinary” to stop him starting such a momentous fixture.
However, Gordon was not even able to take part in a walkthrough session on the morning of the match. His involvement was limited to coming on as a substitute midway through the second half of the 1-1 draw.
“I do have to clear something up,” Howe said on Friday. “He was absolutely absolutely willing to play in the game against Barcelona.
“I know there’s a lot of comments. It was my decision not to start him based on the fact he had been ill that morning and had not attended the training session.
“He was prepared to play but, in consultation with the medical team, we didn’t think he was fit to play.”
Gordon has since returned to training and is in contention to lead the line against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Howe believes the 25-year-old has “a lot of pressure on him” due to his status as an England international.
“My perception is he does face a lot of scrutiny, but I think that comes with being a top player,” he added.
“I don’t think you can escape that in this day and age, so, maybe part of that is his history and how he’s ended up at this club and the clubs that he’s played for previously.
“Of course, as soon as you play for England, you go to a different level in terms of scrutiny and expectation so, the modern player has to withstand all of those things.
“I think Ant has done that well and he’s single-minded enough to blank out a lot of the noise. It’s one of his strengths.”
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