‘A nice headline, that one,’ said Howe, although he did not shut down the suggestion. In fact, he was still talking about his winger 60 seconds later, here at the Parc des Princes and on the eve of Tuesday night’s must-not-lose Champions League group tie.
‘Anthony has been great for us. When we signed him, we knew he was a player of huge potential, reliability, pace and technical ability. He is unique. He plays on the edge and is a fierce competitor.
‘He’s also been robust. That is something we’re putting more importance on, because those who can play every few days, that’s a skill in itself. The output he gives the team is extremely high, every week. He is managing to recover and go again.
‘I’m delighted with his progress this season, he has really come on massively. The big thing for him recently has been adding goals and assists.’
Five goals and three assists in the Premier League makes the 22-year-old Newcastle’s top contributor.
On Saturday, against Chelsea, he was in opposition to the rival who kept him out of the last England squad, Cole Palmer. Only one of that pair looked like an international footballer during Newcastle’s 4-1 win, and it was not the recent Three Lions debutant.
It is, then, to those who routinely cover the Magpies, something of a mystery as to how Gordon did not win elevation ahead of Palmer. The Chelsea winger had scored four goals from five games before his call-up. Four penalties.
Gordon, by comparison, has five from open play. And yes, there are shades of Mbappe by the manner in which he cuts infield from the left and finishes with his right. Thierry Henry, even.
Howe would have him in the England squad, even if there was relief that his £40million forward was one of only five players who trained on Tyneside during the international break, given the squad’s injury crisis.
‘I won’t critique Gareth’s (Southgate) decisions,’ said Howe. ‘Anthony’s emergence has been quite quick this year.
