Everton have high hopes for teenager Anthony Gordon.
Everton Under-23 boss David Unsworth has told the Liverpool Echo that he thinks Anthony Gordon is becoming even more valuable because of his ability to play as a striker.
The Toffees are looking to bring through young talents, but did lose strikers Fraser Hornby and Bassala Sambou to Kortrijk and Fortuna Sittard respectively.
That means Unsworth’s Under-23 side have needed to find a new striker to play, and whilst Ellis Simms is stepping up to the plate, so is Gordon.
Primarily a playmaker, Gordon has been tipped for a huge future, especially having already made his first-team debut back in 2017, and he’s now changing his game to play as a striker.
The teenager was wanted by Borussia Dortmund last year according to the Daily Mail, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich also keen, but Everton managed to keep him.
Fans will be excited about his future, and certainly after Under-23 boss Unsworth commented on his progress so far this season.
Unsworth has admitted that he thinks Gordon is ‘performing beautifully’ right now, praising his ability in a new position as a striker whilst adding that he needs to improve positionally and tactically.
Unsworth added that it’s great to see Gordon adapting well as he’s adding more to his game by learning a new role, believing it’s ‘another string to his bow’ as he looks to impress Marco Silva.
“Anthony is a young player and he’s playing in a new position as a striker. He’s learning all the time and what he’s doing is consistently performing,” said Unsworth. “He’ll get better. There’s no doubt about his ability on the ball and his work-rate off the ball is there for all to see, it’s just sometimes positionally and tactically, [and] with our experience as coaches, we pass on that information. There’s no issues at all. He’s performing beautifully at the moment and we’re really happy with his development.”
“I see the flexibility. Anthony plays a nine, a 10 and can play off the sides. I think modern day strikers, for young players, it’s great to have that flexibility because it might give him an earlier opportunity in the first-team. He’s played off the sides and with us this year, having lost Fraser [Hornby, on loan to K.V. Kortrijk in Belgium] and Bassala [Sambou, left on a free transfer] from last year, certainly with his pace we wanted to exploit that in behind. It’s another string to his bow, let’s put it that way,” he added.
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