Anthony Gordon for England! On-fire Newcastle winger more deserving of a Three Lions place than Marcus Rashford right now

When Newcastle signed Gordon from Everton in January, the size of the transfer fee (an initial £40 million ($50m) with the possibility of a further £5m in bonuses) was questioned by many. The attacker's potential had been obvious since making his professional debut in a Europa League match at just 16, but six years on, there were legitimate questions over his end product and his temperament.

His first few months did little to reassure the sceptics. On April 8, Gordon was brought on at half-time in a game against Brentford, only to then be replaced in the dying seconds. He was furious. As Howe tried to explain the decision to him on the touchline, Gordon petulantly pushed his manager's arm away from him before making a beeline for the bench.

"You don't want to see any player react like that because, suddenly, you will have a team that looks like it doesn't have the discipline that it needs," Howe admitted afterwards. "I made a decision based on Anthony going down holding his ankle, based on the fact there were seconds left on the clock, to try and do what I felt I needed to do to win the game. He needed to accept that and, if he had an issue, come and see me in private.

"That's how I felt he should have acted in that situation, but it's a young player learning about the game and learning about us at the same time, so I've got no issue with him."

Not least because Gordon promptly apologised for his actions. And he learned from them, too. When he was hauled off 54 minutes into his full home debut against Southampton later that month, he was internally upset, but "he didn't let that show", as Howe acknowledged. "There was no outward sign of a negative reaction to that, which you need in that situation."

Still, those were tough times for Gordon. Three months on from his arrival at St James' Park, he felt as if he was still playing catch-up. Initially, he didn't feel fit enough for Howe's high-energy brand of football, and then his progress was checked by a minor ankle injury picked up in March. There were tactical issues, too, though.

"I knew I wasn't playing to the style of the team, which I didn't fully understand, the way they were playing," Gordon admitted during the summer. "It was difficult, I won't lie. The manager's tactical detail is so impressive. And there is so much of it compared to what I was used to before.

"But he did warn me it would take a while [to understand], and the other players warned me too."

The summer represented a turning point. First, Gordon benefited from regular game time with the England Under-21s, whom he helped win the European Championship with two goals and a succession of inspirational displays that earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

Consequently, he headed off for his summer holidays in high spirits. When he returned - early - he hit the ground running in pre-season training and began the campaign fitter and completely in tune with Howe and his team-mates.

Gordon has started 12 of Newcastle's 14 Premier League matches to date, and that regular run of games has resulted in a constant supply of goals and assists. He has struck six times in total, netting in each of Newcastle's last four home games in the process, while he has also contributed three assists.

No Newcastle player has been directly involved in more goals, which explains why Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has labelled Gordon "one of the best players in the Premier League this season". The former Liverpool defender added, "Carry on like this and he's going to the Euros!"

Southgate admitted last month that he had considered calling Gordon up for the qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. "He is a good player," the England boss said. "He was very good with our Under-21s last year. He is very close, I have to say. I like his attitude, I like the way he works so hard for the team and I'm sure he was hoping to get a call at this moment. But there are good players playing well in his position."

Rashford is not one of them, though. Manchester United's academy product may have hit a career-high 30 goals last season - and netted twice at the 2022 World Cup - but he is presently enduring one of the lowest periods of his club career to date.

The hope was that the penalty he scored against Everton last week - just his second league goal of the 2023-23 campaign - might have lifted his spirits, but Rashford cut a forlorn figure at Newcastle.

"You watch Marcus and he doesn't want to run back, he doesn't want to track anyone," former Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas pointed out on TNT. "Gordon's work-rate is unbelievable and that's the difference between him and Marcus Rashford right now."

Southgate, of course, is notoriously loyal to his favourite players and he won't be naming another squad until March, meaning Rashford has plenty of time to turn his season around and secure his seat on next summer's flight to Germany. What's already clear, though, is that he has a new rival for one of the forward berths in the travelling party.

Gordon has taken his game to a whole other level in recent months as he prepares to face former club Everton on Thursday at Goodison Park. Howe's patience has undoubtedly played a pivotal role, as he insisted all along that Gordon was capable of becoming a top-class Premier League player, arguing that he was a rough diamond that just needed "refining".

However, the player also deserves immense credit for the way in which he has turned things around, with Howe revealing that the 22-year-old has been working so hard that they sometimes have to drag him off the training pitch. Consequently, the Newcastle boss is in no doubt that there is even more to come from a "fierce competitor" that he says is as focused as he is gifted.

"Anthony has a desire to get better every day," Howe said recently. "He has this burning motivation to be the best. We are loving working with him. There is an openness and inquisitiveness. He wants to ask questions, start dialogue and debate his game. That is great from our perspective." And England's. of course. But it could yet spell trouble for Rashford.