Inside Rafa Benitez’s crucial Everton decision that Newcastle United fans will love

After initially struggling to break into Eddie Howe’s first-team during his first half a season on Tyneside, a brilliant Under-21’s European Championship with England saw him flourish before returning to the north east and making that left-wing spot his own. 12 goals and 11 assists in his first full campaign was a brilliant return with Gordon’s knack of scoring in big matches winning a hatful of points for Howe’s side.

Initially, the £40m the Magpies chose to part with to sign Gordon in January 2023 was viewed as a very large sum of money for a player that had, until that point, scored just seven top-flight goals. However, he has since developed into one of the league’s most exciting talents and it is clear that the scouts responsible for his signing had seen something in the winger that excited them - and it was possibly the same thing that Benitez had spotted a year previous.

The Spaniard had a very brief time as Toffees manager between June 2021 and January 2022, but was responsible for giving Gordon his first taste of regular senior football, including him in all but three of his 18 Premier League matchday squads. For Benitez, Gordon’s raw talents were never in doubt, but there was one particular attribute he wanted the youngster to develop to become a top player - his stamina.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Benitez was asked about Gordon’s progress since his move to St James’ Park and what impression he had of the winger during their brief time at Goodison Park together. “He’s a nice lad, a good professional,” Benitez responded.

“We discovered that he had some issues with his stamina - so we were working on that. At that time he could make the sprints but he couldn’t recover properly, so we started working on his stamina. I remember he had to go with the Under-21’s, but he didn’t go and after, as soon as he improved that [stamina] he was away with the national team.

He continued: “The point was that he was very fast, but he couldn’t recover. We started working on his stamina without losing his pace, that was the main thing. I remember talking to the people of Everton and they told me that he has been improving his work rate all this time and he’s getting better and better.”

And it’s clear that this work paid dividends with Newcastle United now reaping the rewards of Gordon’s all-round game. The 24-year-old is a tireless presence on the right wing and has learned how to balance his explosive raw pace, with tireless defensive efforts.

Gordon is also someone that has spent very little time on the treatment table during his two years in the north east and has missed just two games in all this campaign through injury. Those came during their defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October and their recent FA Cup triumph against Birmingham City.

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