Rooney & Gerrard my BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS | Anthony Gordon on England prospects after first call up

Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon reveals Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard were his biggest footballing inspirations growing up. Gordon received his first England senior call up ahead of the internationals against Brazil and Belgium.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Intro

0:01 Very special moment. You chase this moment for your whole life. I found out before training and then training didn’t matter that day!

0:47 Not a better game to play than against Brazil at Wembley. It would be amazing to make my debut.

1:25 Scottish grandparents but it was never a thought for me. I always wanted to represent England. It’s a dream I’ve had from so young.

2:13 Southgate’s words were very reassuring. Just to hear I was close to making the squad was a big boost.

2:45 You’ve got to be really consistent and on your best form to even get near the squad. The standards are so high.

3:19 It helps having players who can play a number of different positions, which I can. I love the challenge.

4:04 I don’t think I’ve had any run-ins with players in this England squad. There are some unbelievable players and characters.

4:43 My goal has changed very quickly. I want to stay here and have a real impact on the squad.

5:21 Trippier has given me great advice on the players in this squad. I spoke to Bruno about the game. Brazil are such a good team and he’s a top, top player. It will be exciting to play against him.

5:51 No holiday plans for the summer. I’m going to try and give myself the best possible chance of making the Euros squad.

6:15 Rooney and Gerrard my biggest inspirations. I used to try and recreate their goals.

6:50 I haven’t been as consistent in my career as I am now. I’m as ready as I’ve ever been.

7:30 You see the intensity levels in these sessions. Everything is done with a purpose. Jude and Harry Kane, such impressive players.

8:15 I’ve always wanted to be at the very top of football. As a young English kid the pinnacle is to play for your country.

9:05 First England tournament memories? When Sturridge scored against Wales at Euro 2016.

9:30 Very inspiring to see the progression within the England set up. Everything has improved year on year. The first team are in the strongest position they’ve been in a long time.

10:11 Experiences at under-21 stand you in good stead. Being in that environment prepares you for this environment.

11:01 Eddie understands me. His man management is at a real good level. He’s so determined and he could see that fire in me.

12:27 England baby grow? It’s really exciting for me.

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Congratulations thank you I mean look it’s a pretty standard but traditional opening question that we always say how does this feel how special is it and how did you find out very special um it’s hard to describe really you know you chase this goal for the for your whole

Life your whole football and career and you finally get it it just means means everything to me and yeah I found out through a text so when I got the the text I was so happy uh found out just before I went out to training and sorry

To say we and just didn’t matter for that day i’ uh just played on me mind all day did you tell all your teammates were they with you at the time trips was next to me um so like perfect person to be next to me and yeah I just showed him

And he was uh he was buzzing for me it it it won’t have escaped your notice that this first friendly is quite a special one England don’t often play Brazil um one of the the real superpowers and probably the you know the most glamorous team in the world

What would mean to you to get the chance to make your debut against Brazil at Wembley I don’t think there’s a better game to be honest um Brazil’s national team as you said it’s just so so rich in history so many good players um and with the the score we’ve

Got at the minute I don’t think there’s a better game in National Football so it’d be be so good obviously it’s there’s no guarantee but yeah it’ mean everything to me it’s been a heck of a couple of years for you let’s be honest since the move and even before that but

It was it was only six months ago we were talking about you potentially playing for Scotland it was very clear how what they thought of you and how much they wanted you to play for them so how realistic was that as an option for you you know potentially switching

Allegiances and playing for I think it’s your grandparents that that are Scottish is it so it was never never a thought for me um and that’s no no disrespect to to Scotland at all I just think I’ve been T of visioned on playing for England since I was five six years old

And nothing could ever shake that off and I could never forgive myself if I never got to this point um and yeah like I said it’s just a dream I’ve had from so young so nothing else has ever entered me mind at any time hi Anthony at the same time there

Was talk around uh Scotland G Southgate obviously said that you were close to getting into the squad as well what was that like to to hear when you when you weren’t named yeah very very reassuring um I was I was performing well you know I was I was working hard hard and the

Season was gone well for me so just to hear him say that I was in the thought and I was close it just give me just a little boost to to carry on and yeah knowing I’m not too far away in the games just made me run that a little bit

Harder there’s so much talent in this England squad especially in the forward areas what’s it like as a player that plays in those positions looking from the outside and then trying to break into it yeah from from the outside trying to break into it it’s really difficult because you know you’ve got to

Be you know really consistent on your best form to even get near the squad because because of the level that that’s around me um in my positions but you know I’ve been able to do that this year and now I’m just relishing it because I get to train and stuff and the standards

So high and I’m just I’m loving it because I’m getting to learn from you know the best players in the country and similar to Joe Gomez Who we’ve just spoken to you can play in a number of positions you w player of the tournament at the under 21 Euros last summer do you

Think that will give you a good chance chance of breaking into the squad and something you feel that you bring differently to other players yeah maybe maybe yeah because I think it helps if you have players that play in different positions um which I can and I sort to

Pride myself on that and whatever I’m asked to do I try and do it to the the best of my ability I played in a lot of positions this year probably three four different ones but like I said I really like to challenge and trying to get

Better and yeah I just love improving so playing me in different positions to see it as a challenge and I’m really happy to do it congratulations on the call up I know Edie how will have you prepared for the technical challenge of coming into this training session you said when you first

Went to Newcastle though you had to uh introduce yourself to some players that you’d already gone toe-to-toe with was that the same in this training session you know what surprisingly not I don’t I don’t think I’ve had any uh any moments like that with anyone in the squad but

Um yeah with some unbelievable uh players in character so I was a little bit nervous coming into the squad of course because I’d never met a lot a lot of the lads before um but that went away quick you know we got such a good group so many good characters and leaders and

Yeah that them nerves went pretty quickly you talk really nicely about a school you said I want to be a footballer and and your teacher said well you better have a backup education and you were like no I’m going to focus on being a footballer are you going to

Focus on getting in the squad with this opportunity yeah I was speaking about this uh recently when I got the call up because after I got the call up that sort of finished that my mind and make me goal change very quickly because I don’t want to come here and then leave

My goal is to stay here and be impactful and have a real impact on the squad so football moves on and if you sort a basque in your glory that’s not a good recipe um so like I said me goal changed quickly and now there’s even more to

Play for um and Bruno have you talked about coming up against Brazil and trips what advice have they both said or what what has Bruno warned you about Brazil well trip give me good advice about all the lads in the squad he just said don’t worry like you’ll be fine the staff are

Brilliant the players are as well um and yeah I spoke to Bruno about about the game like I said before Brazil is such a such a good team he’s a top top player and just be really exciting to play against them you know and in that team

So Wembley it doesn’t get much better and the holiday plans for the summer what are you going to do nothing so far nothing um not that it’s a guarantee or or anything like that but I’m going to try and give myself the best chances possible of course that’s my goal that’s

Me biggest aim that I’ve got the miners to to be in that Squad so um I’m sort of going to manifest it by not not booking any holidays Awesome Again Anthony congrats um you mentioned playing for England was a childhood dream one that you’ve now realized obviously Millions have it and

Some don’t but I just wondered when he was running around I don’t know the garden the training pitch the park uh whose name was you screaming and what was the scenario for that England debut when he that g well for me it was always Rooney and Gerard because they were from

Similar areas from from where I’m from so yeah I just always used to like you said run around in a garden from the youngest age I can remember and try and recreate goals create my own types of goals and yeah looked up to to them massively um people always talking about

Things happen at the right time did you ever feel you were more ready than now or it’s taken a while but you feel this is as ready as you’ve ever been to seize the opportunity and to be the play that you know you’ve always been yeah that’s a great way to

Look it because I don’t think I’ve ever been as consistent in my career so far um and like I said before if you’re not doing that so regularly with the players I have around me you’re not going to get into this team um so yeah I don’t think

I’ve ever been as ready as I am now and I’m quite thankful for that because I get to show a good account of myself now whereas maybe if it come in a bit too early it would would have been a bit too early so yeah it’s all it’s all in good

Time and really happy yeah yeah people talk about levels in football and obviously you’ve been at the top for quite some time but it’s a first England training session with the senior team different than anything else as in people talking coming in and seeing one player in particular the way someone

Applies themselves what they eat what they sleep is that what you find as well yeah I just think you you you sort to see the intensity levels from from the warmup really like everything we do is so intense and done with the purpose and it’s because you all the best players in

The country They’re all playing with purpose um and yet some of the players so impressive dude har Kane players like that so impressive to see them up close okay any was in the live section James oh yeah congratulations on the call up umk you just wanted to follow up

On when you said about um playing for England a dream since you were sort of five or six I mean you mentioned Rooney and Gerard there but what are your first sort of you can make us all feel really old here but what are your first kind of

Memories of England what what’s the Genesis of I really wanted to play for England not Scotland not anyone else it’s always going to be England well I think I’ve always just wanted to be at the very top of of football I think that’s every kid’s dream who likes

Football um and I think as a young English English kid that’s that is the Pinnacle is to play for your country so it’s no extra motivation or a great story but just just that playing for England it’s it’s sort of not I think every kid dreams of so um yeah know no

Special story of of about it but I was just that was my dream what is the first tournament you remember with England good question um first tournament the only sticks in me mind was when St scored against Wales what tournament was that 2016 that was actually a bit late but I

Think that was like where I was I’m coming of age and I’m really taking notice of of football and I just remember that goal for some reason I celebrated like and and obviously Gareth took over after that tournament and and watching the progress from afar I know you’ve obious

Been with the 21s but when you’ve seen the journey that the team’s been on under Gareth and now you’re here and you can be a part of it how how inspired are you by the progress that England have made in those last three tournaments yeah very inspired and I think me coming

Through the youth systems I’ve been able to see the progression not just in the the senior team but in the the youth teams as well because everything we were doing in terms of analysis of teams and our training everything just kept improving year on year um and as You’

Seen with the first team they’ve just got better and better and better and we’re probably now in the strongest position that we’ve been in a long time and it’s sort of often argued that because of the success that the teams are having at Youth Level that it’s

Making players you know more ready to step up is is do do you feel that that experience that you’ve had particular obviously with the under 21s is going to help you now most definitely because the standard under 21s was so high you know our team was was was really really good

Team a lot of them play Premier League week in week out at some big clubs and I think just being in them environment and wanting to Showcase what what you can do prepares you for for this environment and I’m very thankful for all the experiences I had with all the youth the

Youth teams thank you thank you any follow-ups M if we wait for the next section for you just broadcast us first in this bit any of any from the broadcasters we done Carrie do you want to come back for more and then we’ll come across cheers you talk about Wayne Rooney and I

Remember because I’m very old sitting down and speaking to Alex to S Alex Ferguson about how you get the best out of the player that crosses the line and can have a bit of an edge to his game you’ve done a brilliant interview with Craig Hope just just recently talking

About um how Eddie how spoke to you after you went off and you were disappointed against being subbed against brenford you’re going to be all right being on the bench for a bit for England yeah definitely but what what has what influences Eddie had on you cuz

He was there was a big story made of it and he made it very clear that you should not get the wrong impression about you as a player that you are you have an edge but he doesn’t want to lose that edge so how has he helped you with

That edge and that and the balance that’s got the best performances out of you this season I think it’s just him understanding me and his man management is at a really good level um at that time I’m a young lad and I think he just underst understood what what I needed at

The time um I’m really passionate and he’s the same he’s so determined as a person so I think he could see that that fire in me um which is not a bad thing it just needs some guidance especially at a young age um and he was the right

Man to guide me so I’m really thankful that he was me manager at that time and like I said he’s guided me into being a much more mature um level-headed person but also keeping that fired and keeping that motivation and have you got an England baby grow

I will do I will do have thoughts about that um I gave him a little kit and stuff so that’s really exciting for me thanks okay