Anthony Gordon has drawn comparisons between England boss Gareth Southgate and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The 23-year-old was handed his Premier League debut for Everton as an 18-year-old sub by Ancelotti during his 18-month reign at Goodison Park.
The Italian also gave him his first Blues start after the Covid-enforced break in the 2020/21 campaign.
Gordon was handed his first England cap by Southgate in the March friendly with Brazil at Wembley.
Asked by BBC Radio whether there were similarities between the two managers, Gordon said: “I would say so. They are both very good man-managers, they are very approachable.
“They take the pressure off the football a lot. They’re not too tense during pre-match game and around training .
“They’re always quite light-hearted, and I like that as a player because if everyone is tense during training and we can all feel the pressure – because we’re all nervous, we all feel pressure – so the more people can make the environment comfortable the better.
“They’re very similar in that way.”
Bring it on. 🏴🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/Uhflpmf1GL
— AG (@anthonygordon) June 14, 2024
The Newcastle winger scored 11 times in 35 Premier Leagues last season after his move to St James’ Park the previous January.
Gordon revealed the secret to his success is visualisation and writing down his ambitions – something he has done for the past 12 months after helping England under-21s to European Championship glory.
“I’m all for that,” he said. “Deep thinking and really challenging the mind, I love.
“Meditation and visualisation, trying to play the game out before it happens. I set my intentions so in a game things are a lot clearer and easier for me to follow.
“When you’re emotional and tired, you’re probably going to make worst decisions. So if I can set my intentions and visualised them before the game, I can follow a clearer path to my intentions.”
Gordon revealed he writes notes the night before each match he plays, adding: “Of course in that I’ll be thinking of some sort of the ball coming to me and maybe getting pressed by a certain full-back.
“If I was being pressed by Kyle Walker, for example, my approach would be a lot different to someone a lot slower, because my game would have to change.
“So I try to visualise being in those positions before I get there.”
Very proud moment to win Player of the Year for this amazing club! See you tomorrow, Magpies 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/Seo2WDVvwo
— AG (@anthonygordon) May 10, 2024
It’s not just match situations that Gordon tries to manifest, it’s also his own personal development.
“I have a clear vision of where I want to get to, who I want to be, by a certain time,” he revealed. “But with my goals, I always date them – write them as if they have already happened. That gives me no time to debate them and it’s just a clear path to follow.
“I started doing it at the Under-21 Euros. I came off a season when I was struggling. I had just joined Newcastle and I couldn’t really get in the team.
“I went to the Under-21 Euros and my main goal was to win player of the tournament and to win the tournament, which I did.
“They were two massive goals that have gone on to change my life really, because my trajectory (since then) has gone upwards.”
Gordon revealed he had beaten his goal of 10 Premier League goals last season and added: “My main last year was to be Newcastle’s most important player. So I’m never coming off, I want the manager to always believe in me, even if we’re struggling,
“I want him to value me and having me on the pitch.”
