Anthony Gordon has backed 30-year-old teammate to receive first international call-up
Anthony Gordon has cemented his place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad recently, and the Newcastle United winger expects a couple of his clubmates could well join him soon.
Nick Pope has been in and out of the England set-up over the years and recently admitted that he's had talks with Thomas Tuchel, so he knows he's still in contention.
Anthony Gordon talked up Pope's chances of heading to the World Cup next year after his stunning display last night, which even saw the goalkeeper pick up an assist for his 65-yard throw to Harvey Barnes.
While Pope, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento have all had their call-ups to the England squad, one Newcastle player can probably count himself unlucky not to have had the honour as yet.
Anthony Gordon loves playing with Jacob Murphy
Last season, only Liverpool's Mo Salah had more assists in the Premier League than 30-year-old Newcastle star Jacob Murphy, and already this season, he's adding to his tally. Anthony Gordon, speaking to the Independent after Newcastle's 3-0 Champions League win over Benfica, feels that it's only a matter of time for Murphy.
“He’s so underestimated as a player, honestly. He can do absolutely everything any winger can do in the Premier League. I don’t know why he’s so underestimated.
“I love playing with him. I just know he’s going to play that ball every time, so I can gamble and put my head down and run because I know it’s going there so I can just tap it in.”
“He’s got everything you need to be at that (international) level. He just needs a run of form, goals, assists for the manager to take notice of him.
“I’m sure he would have been in talks last year because he was one of the best, in-form wingers in the league, so he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and the manager will take notice.”
What a story it would be if Jacob Murphy got called up for England
Murphy has had to battle to win his place back in Newcastle's starting lineup after the Magpies spent £55 million to bring in Anthony Elanga, and Eddie Howe has tried to integrate the Swede into the first team.
It just hasn't happened for Elanga as yet, and Jacob Murphy keeps seizing his opportunity when it's handed to him, which could see Howe stick with Murphy for a while as Elanga continues to work on settling into the new style of play.
Thomas Tuchel isn't against calling up 'ageing' players, having brought Dan Burn into the squad and recalling Jordan Henderson, so even though Murphy is now 30, he's certainly not out of contention.
