Anthony Gordon wishes he had ability of 28y/o NUFC star as it would make him really hard to play against | OneFootball

Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon has admitted he wishes he had the strength of Brazilian midfielder Joelinton as it would take his game to the next level.

The England international has been one of the best players at the St James Park club since joining from Everton, with 16 goals and 13 assists to his name in 82 appearances for the Magpies.

Gordon still has plenty of room for improvement, and he believes having some of the qualities of some of his Newcastle teammates would make him much better.

The 23-year-old mentioned Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier as those he would love to swap ability with.

“Bruno’s passing, Trippier’s free-kick and Joelinton’s strength,” Gordon told Sky Sports when asked which teammates’ ability he would love to swap with.

“If I could stay as quick as I am and have his strength, then it would make me really hard to play against.”

Joelinton is one of the strongest players in the Premier League, with the opponents often struggling to dispossess him of the ball.

The 6ft 1in 28-year-old has plenty of strength, physicality, stamina and aggression, constantly knocking opponents off the ball, and Gordon could indeed do with those qualities.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe reinvented Joelinton into a destructive, all-action midfielder back in November 2021 after he initially struggled as a centre-forward, and he has since established himself as one of the best number 8s in the land.

Gordon also needs to make a similar discovery as his versatility has become more of a curse than a blessing this season.

Playing on the left has often got the best out of him, but he has been deployed on the right and centrally for much of the ongoing campaign with little success, and Newcastle need to decide what is best for him positionally going forward if he is to turn into a world-class forward going forward.