Anthony Gordon takes down Shearer, Rooney over ‘absolute nonsense’ Newcastle slur | OneFootball

Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon has put Premier League legends Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney in their place, claiming that “they need to do better” at their job after they criticised the winger for not starting the huge Champions League midweek clash with Barcelona.

Shearer and Rooney both hit out at the England star after he was named on the bench for the round of 16 clash with the LaLiga giants at St James’ Park, with Eddie Howe benching Gordon after claiming he was ill ahead of the match.

“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 of the contest and was deemed well enough to start against Chelsea on Saturday evening, a game in which he scored the winning goal for Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

And speaking to the media after the game, Gordon called out Shearer and Rooney’s comments as “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.”

After his match-winning heroics on Saturday, Gordon is expected to start the second leg of the UCL tie against Barca in Catalonia on Wednesday night.

Newcastle United could yet spring a surprise on Manchester United and Manchester City by making a shock move to bring academy graduate Elliot Anderson back to St James’ Park this summer if they lose one of their star midfielders, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

Elsewhere, Newcastle are open to selling a top star this summer, and intermediaries have been briefed to bring potential deals to the table, with sources informing TEAMtalk of the two-pronged reason why the Magpies are now ready to cash in on the Manchester City target.

Finally, Wrexham are preparing to raid the North-East in a bid to strengthen their developing youth system this summer, and with four young academy stars from Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough all on their radar, .