Eddie Howe's verdict on Anthony Gordon's Newcastle United recall after surprise move

Gordon started Newcastle United’s 3-0 loss at Villa Park a week after angrily reacting to his withdrawal in the club’s 2-1 win over Brentford.

The 22-year-old – who apologised to Howe for his reaction at the Gtech Community Stadium – was handed a start after midfielder Sean Longstaff was laid low by a bout of illness ahead of the game.

Gordon, however, was “starved of the ball” along with United’s other attacking players on a difficult afternoon for Howe’s third-placed side, who had gone into the game on the back of five successive Premier League victories.

Asked about Gordon’s performance against Villa, Howe said: “I thought Anthony did OK. I think he worked hard.

"I think we suffered in possession, we didn’t play as we wanted to, and weren’t as fluent as we usually are. Naturally then, your attacking players are starved of the ball, and I felt that was the case with all of them.”

Howe said the touchline spat was “put to bed” early in the week after a training ground conversation.

“I put that to bed as soon as we spoke,” said Howe. “I’m not a manager or a person to hold grudges.

"We move on and move on together. Anthony played really well last week when he entered the pitch, so I was hoping for a repeat of that performance.”

Meanwhile, Howe will quickly analyse the performance ahead of Sunday’s home game against Tottenham Hotspur, beaten at home by Bournemouth yesterday.

“I thought, in all disciplines, we were slightly off our best, and we got punished by a very good team,” said Howe. “We’ll certainly analyse the game as thoroughly as we can, but then look forward because we have a massive game next weekend.

“It was unlike us in every aspect, really. I thought we were wasteful with the ball, and definitely unlike ourselves out of possession.

"We weren’t as solid, tight and reliable as we have been. There’s a lot to analyse from my perspective.”