Everton: Micah Richards stunned by Anthony Gordon after what happened at Goodison Park
Micah Richards has been full of praise for Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon following his England debut against Brazil, referencing the way Everton fans treated him at Goodison Park.
The BBC pundit reflected on the trajectory of the newly-capped England ace’s career, given the way the Everton fans wanted him to leave before he stepped up for Newcastle and his country.
Richards insisted that he had shown his strong character by ignoring all the criticism surrounding him and his lofty price tag and pushing on to make progress with his game.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast [25 March], Richards shared: “If you look back a couple of years ago when he was at Everton, things were up and down. He was sort of treated by Everton fans like ‘If you want to go, then go.’
“Everyone was talking about him not being worth anywhere near that money [for his transfer], then he goes to Newcastle and performs.
“After being the player of the tournament for the [England] under-21s last year, he just focused on his game. I think that needs a lot of praise. It shows character. It shows that even in difficult times he can overcome them and believe in his ability.
“I have to give him credit for that. To go to a big stage and perform against Brazil, to have the character to do that, I thought fair play.”
Anthony Gordon thriving after leaving Everton for Newcastle
Gordon has recently spoken about the perception of him both from outside and within football, confessing even some of his teammates at Newcastle “hated” him before he arrived at the club after the way he played for Everton.
Those views are reflected by many of the fans inside Goodison Park who are not fond of Gordon both for the way he played while at the club and for the way he left, with links to Chelsea emerging as well as it appeared he was looking for any way out.
Given the financial struggles at Goodison Park, it is tough to imagine how much worse they could have been if not for his £50million sale, but that appears to be beside the point as things stand.
Since leaving Everton, Gordon’s career and reputation have gone from strength to strength, and receiving such high praise from Richards after his England debut performance will be another positive for him.
Given the success the winger has had since leaving Everton for Newcastle, a second move of that type could be on the cards, with the Magpies reportedly tracking Jarrad Branthwaite.
In other Everton news, Branthwaite has now been linked with a move to Manchester City.
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