Gordon slams ‘utter stupidity’ of Rooney, Shearer after ‘nonsense’ claim – ‘they need to do better’ | OneFootball

Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon has hit back at Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer, claiming that “they need to do better” at their job.

Earlier this week, Rooney and Shearer hit out at Gordon after he was named on the bench for Newcastle‘s Champions League round of 16 first leg against Barcelona.

Head coach Eddie Howe benched Gordon after he was ill ahead of the match, which led to Shearer and Rooney criticising the attitude of the winger.

“Maybe I’m old school but if you’re fit enough to train in the morning, and I know he doesn’t feel well, but this is Barcelona at Newcastle for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It would take something extraordinary to keep myself out of this game tonight,” Shearer said.

Rooney added: “Eddie Howe said before the game he probably has 20 or 30 minutes in him. So what is that telling you the sports scientists and doctors are saying? If you are ill, you are ill.

“He walked past us before the game and said he wouldn’t shake our hands because he was ill and didn’t want us to catch something. But then he is in the dressing room and with his teammates.”

Gordon came on for the final 25 minutes against Barcelona and was deemed well enough to start against Chelsea on Saturday evening.

The England international scored the only goal as Newcastle beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to move into the top half of the Premier League.

And Gordon took the opportunity to respond to Rooney and Shearer’s comments when speaking to the media on Saturday night, saying their criticism was “complete nonsense”.

“Usually I don’t like to clear stuff up because I don’t care too much but this one does need clearing up because it was just nonsense,” Gordon said on BBC’s Match of the Day.

“I didn’t see but the stuff that the media guy told me was complete and utter stupidity. I was in bed for three days, missed training. I turned up on the day of the game, ready to start, I thought I was going to start.

“When I got to the stadium the manager told me I wasn’t playing which I didn’t like very much but that’s his decision and the team played well.

“Saying I didn’t want to play in the biggest game of my career is absolute nonsense.

“I think Rooney said I went past and didn’t shake their hands and went into the changing room. I didn’t. I got changed by myself in a changing room the size of this. It was just me and a sink.

“So, complete nonsense. I think they need to do better at what they are doing.”