Alan Shearer's spat with Anthony Gordon continues as legendary ex-Newcastle striker doubles down on illness claim that enraged England winger

The drama was sparked when Gordon was benched for the first leg against the Catalan giants, leading Shearer to previously suggest that it would take "something extraordinary" to keep him out of such a fixture, amid suggestions illness had got the better of the Newcastle forward. This prompted a furious response from Gordon following his match-winning performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

“Usually I don't like to clear stuff up because I don't care too much,” Gordon told the media. “But this one does need clearing up because it was just nonsense. Saying I didn't want to play in the biggest game of my career is absolute nonsense."

The veteran pundit and Newcastle icon has made it clear he has no regrets after questioning Gordon’s absence from the starting line-up during the Magpies' massive Champions League clash against Barcelona. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer responded to the winger's recent comments by saying: “Good! I love it! That’s fine. You always get the chance, the right to reply as a player. I wouldn’t change anything I said the other night against Barcelona. Illness wouldn’t have kept me out for a game, I know he said it was the manager’s [decision].”

Shearer was not the only one to question Gordon’s professionalism, with former Manchester United duo Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney also weighing in on the situation. Keane echoed the sentiment on The Overlap, stating: "How can you be ill but come on for half an hour?" Rooney, too, was dismissive of the illness claims, saying: "If you're ill, you're ill. You shouldn't be there. He walked past us before the game and wouldn't shake our hands. He said he didn't want us to catch anything, but then he's going into the dressing room with his team-mates."

This allegation of failing to acknowledge the media team properly was vehemently denied by the former Everton man, who detailed his isolation in a makeshift space to avoid spreading the illness.

"I think it was Rooney that said I walked past and didn't shake their hands, but then went in the changing room," Gordon added. "I got changed by myself in a changing room the size of this. It was just me and a sink. So it was complete nonsense, and I think they need to do better at what they are doing."

Newcastle will now turn their attention to the second leg of their Champions League tie against Barcelona on Wednesday night. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg at St. James' Park, leaving the fixture finely balanced ahead of the trip to Spain. Gordon's availability in the starting XI will be a major focal point in the build-up. The winger has been a crucial figure for Eddie Howe's side in Europe this season and currently sits second in the Champions League scoring charts with 10 goals, trailing only Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (13).