Everton fans will welcome Anthony Gordon back to Merseyside once again in the Premier League – as Newcastle United visit the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday evening.
Everton brought Anthony Gordon through their youth academy following his release from Liverpool as an 11-year-old, and making his first-team debut in December 2017, Gordon quickly became one of Everton’s best players.
Forcing his way into first-team action at the age of 20, Gordon was a star on Merseyside for 18 months, helping Everton survive in the Premier League in 2021-22 in the process. However, his form caught the eye of Newcastle United as they were on the rise to the Champions League, and a £45million move was sanctioned.
And despite his less-than impressive cameos back on the blue half of Merseyside, fans will be wary that he could follow in Wayne Rooney’s footsteps.
Everton FC v Newcastle United FC - Premier League
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Wayne Rooney’s slow start to life away at Goodison quickly punished Everton
Wayne Rooney famously left Everton for Manchester United in 2004 after a solid summer tournament at the European Championships for England.
Rooney was one of, if not the biggest talent in Europe at the time, but he didn’t initially have a strong start when returning to Goodison Park.
What an away day this was…
His Premier League return saw him fail to score towards the end of the 2004-05 season in a 1-0 loss to the Toffees, and despite winning 2-0 in the FA Cup just a few weeks earlier, Rooney also wasn’t able to record a single goal contribution on that occasion.
MORE EVERTON STORIES
However, on his third start, Rooney opened his account for an away side at his former ground – and that started a run of fixtures that saw him score twice and assist one in just two outings at Goodison for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Everton fans will be hoping that Anthony Gordon won’t follow suit. He only featured for three minutes in Newcastle’s 4-1 win at Goodison Park in April 2023, but his following two outings – coming as starts on the blue half of Merseyside – were even worse.
A 3-0 defeat saw him play the whole game in December 2023, and the 0-0 draw in October 2024 even saw the former Toffee miss a penalty.
Craig Pawson announced as referee for Everton vs Newcastle United – what are the Premier League thinking?
FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-EVERTON
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
However, caution will be thrown at how slowly Rooney started before haunting his former side. If Gordon scores at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday evening, that could kickstart a similar run of form to the one-time Champions League winner and five-time Premier League champion.
Rooney kissed the United badge upon scoring his second game, much to the dismay of the Goodison crowd. Expect similar scenes if Gordon follows suit this weekend.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox