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Eddie Howe’s explanation about Anthony Gordon’s fitness levels
Scott Wilson
4 – 5 minutes
EDDIE HOWE insists Harvey Barnes has earned his extended run in Newcastle United’s starting line-up – although the Magpies boss also claims Anthony Gordon is still not back to full fitness following his injury lay-off.
Barnes made his seventh start in a row yesterday as Newcastle beat Ipswich Town 3-0 to return to third position in the Premier League table.
The first three of those starts came when Gordon was unavailable after suffering a combination of hip and knee injuries following a collision while on England duty against Albania.
However, Barnes’ most recent four starts have come with Gordon back in the squad, and have seen the former Leicester winger in the starting line-up has his team-mate has had to be content with a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Howe claims Barnes has earned his place in the team thanks to the quality of his recent performances, that have featured important goals in the wins over Leicester, Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
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However, he also claims Gordon is still working his way back to full fitness and is not yet operating at 100 per cent.
“I think Harvey has been outstanding since he got his opportunity in the team,” said Howe. “I think he’s grabbed it with both hands, and that’s all he can do.
“Anthony, I still don’t think is 100 per cent match fit. This week in training, he is still aware of some feeling in his knee, so we need to protect him and make sure that when we bring him back into the team, that he’s 100 per cent fit.”
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Howe also concedes that Alexander Isak is not quite operating at the peak of his powers, even though his penalty in yesterday’s win took him to 22 league goals for the season.
Isak has failed to score from open play in four of his last five games, but Howe is adamant the Swede remains a crucial performer as Newcastle look to try to secure a return to the Champions League.
“In part, Ipswich’s game plan would have been to stop Alex, so I think the reducing of space and the low defensive line does limit his ability to bring his main strengths to the game,” said Howe. “Of course, as a team, we still then need to find a way to get him into the game, and I felt we did. I felt he improved as the game went on.
“Is he at the absolute top of his game at the moment? Possibly not. But I think that’s the same with any player – there’ll be little peaks and troughs. The most important thing is that throughout the season, he’s still contributing and scoring massive goals for us.
“We back him to rediscover that one or two per cent that we’re talking about and bring that back into his game very quicky.”
