Former England manager Gareth Southgate was left ‘miffed’ by Anthony Gordon whilst the pair were at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions came within touching distance of landing the spoils in Germany before being beaten by Spain in the final of the competition, prompting Southgate to step down from his position after back-to-back defeats in the final.
Questions were raised about the management of the ex-Middlesbrough boss throughout the tournament given that England never truly looked convincing on the pitch. There was also a sense of confusion among supporters as to why Gordon hardly featured as well.
The winger’s only minutes in the competition came when he was substituted on in the dying embers of England’s group stage clash with Slovenia, despite the player hinting publicly that he could solve some of the Three Lions’ problems.
However, the Daily Mail report that the reason for Gordon’s absences was because Southgate was infuriated by the conduct of the ex-Everton star.
Southgate was unhappy with Gordon after he crashed his bike during a team cycle ride around their hotel facilities, leaving him with a nasty gash on his chin. It is claimed that the forward went head over heels as he was using his mobile phone at the time of the accident, much to the frustration of Southgate.
The England manager was also ‘miffed’ by how Gordon had hinted that the Three Lions were becoming ‘predictable’ and needed him to add a spark to the frontline.
Speaking ahead of the knockout stages of Euro 2024, the 23-year-old said: “I’m an absolute nightmare for anyone I play against. I’m always trying to put people on the back foot and I think I add a different element to the team.
“I think it [my direct style] brings a sense of unpredictability. I draw a lot of fouls and it can put teams on the back foot and that’s how I play football. That works for me, that’s the way I feel best playing. I know how hard I am to play against, I can feel it, I know they don’t like playing against me and I’m going to carry on doing it.”
The message was ruled to be a pointed message at his manager, and Southgate reportedly did not take kindly to the ‘play me’ plea, thus opting for alternative options off of the bench for the remainder of the tournament.
Interim England boss Lee Carsley has since shown what England missed out on by leaving Gordon as an unused substitute, starting the winger against the Republic of Ireland over the weekend in the Nations League.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk