Eddie Howe hints Anthony Gordon could START against Liverpool next week

Eddie Howe has hinted that January recruit Anthony Gordon could be in line for an ‘interesting’ first start at Newcastle against Everton’s rivals Liverpool.

Gordon, a £40m addition from the Toffees last month, made his second appearance for his new club as a substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

The highly-skilled attacker appeared at the No. 10 position as part of the rarely used 4-2-3-1 system for the Magpies, who moved away from Howe’s trusted 4-3-3 formation in the stalemate in his old club.

Howe mixed up his tactics largely due to the suspension of Bruno Guimaraes and following the forced retirement of Joe Willock with a hamstring problem.

Willock’s injury was described as worrisome by his coach, who will once again be a light option in midfield for Liverpool’s visit next Saturday.

Asked if Gordon’s 30-minute cameo on the South Shore had put him in the frame to start next weekend, Howe admitted: ‘Yes, it has. It will be interesing! But I have to say that he has trained very well, he has played very well in the two games he has played and we are delighted with him.

‘Yes, I think sometimes you have to be flexible. You can have a preferred way of playing, but we can always adjust certain systems or personnel and you have to.

We were pretty much ready to do that, we were prepared to do it, and we knew it was an option for us. Anthony came in and did very well in that central area.

Gordon has faced Liverpool three times in his fledgling career, losing his first two Merseyside derbies before a goalless draw with Jurgen Klopp’s side in September.

Weeks earlier, one of the Reds’ best results in an inconsistent campaign came when they secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield thanks to a 98th-minute winner from Fabio Carvalho.

It remains the Magpies’ only league defeat of the season and they have embarked on an excellent 17-game unbeaten run in the top flight that has propelled them into contention for Champions League qualification.

“It was a very painful experience, I can tell you,” Howe reflected. ‘With a minute to go, well, seconds were left when we conceded second.

“It was a painful experience, but perhaps it kindled our fires and made us more determined to respond positively.

We have done it since that game. We look forward to the match. We’re going against Liverpool, it’s always a difficult game, but it’s something we look forward to.”

Regardless of what happens in Monday’s Merseyside derby, Newcastle host Liverpool on Saturday knowing that a win against Klopp’s side would go a long way towards ending the Reds’ top four challenge.

However, Howe’s side have stuttered since the Premier League resumed in December and drew five of their six games in the division. The 45-year-old refused to decide whether Liverpool or Chelsea remained in contention for a Champions League spot.

Howe added: “It’s very difficult to predict anything that happens in any league, that’s what makes football the game that it is.”

‘The challenge for us is to find our winning feeling again. We are desperate to do that and we need to be consistent with that.

“To reach those levels (top four) in the Premier League, we have to win and we have to win again soon.”