Gordon playing with paranoia in pursuit of World Cup spot with England

Anthony Gordon conceded that he is playing with a sense of paranoia to make sure he is in England's squad for next year's World Cup. 

Newcastle United forward Gordon has been a regular for the Three Lions since Thomas Tuchel took charge January, making five appearances for his country in 2025. 

The 24-year-old played a crucial role in England's 5-0 thrashing of Serbia last month, registering more shots on target (three) than any other player, while only Morgan Rogers (three) had more successful dribbles than Gordon (two) at Stadion Rajko Mitic. 

Gordon has scored three goals in seven appearances for Newcastle this term, having served a three-match suspension for a straight red card against Liverpool in August. 

However, he understands that his place in the England side for the World Cup is not a formality, given the quality at Tuchel's disposal ahead of next summer's tournament. 

The England boss also recently stated that no player is guaranteed a place, and left out Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish for England's friendly with Wales and qualifier with Latvia over the coming week. 

"At this level, you see the squad changing all the time, players coming in, players leaving," Gordon said.

"I think you've almost got to be a bit paranoid that you're not going to get in because it pushes you even further.

"You've always got to challenge yourself because the lads you're competing with are always at the highest level because that's the level we're playing at.

"I never think I'm nailed in, but obviously it's a massive goal for me and one I'm pushing for. Coincidentally, it's a World Cup year and everyone seems to be flying.

"It's up to us as players to push ourselves as individuals and that ultimately challenges the next man in our position to do better again. I think it's more about the team.

"We have to focus on the team, it's the team that's going to win tournaments, hopefully, so I think it's never going to be about individuals, and the moment we start making it about individuals is when we've got a problem."

Gordon has made 14 appearances for England since his debut in February, but has only managed to find the back of the net once. 

That strike came in a 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League last November, in what was Lee Carsley's final game in interim charge of the team. 

And while the Newcastle star says he is playing the best football of his career for his club, he is aiming to do more for his country.

"One performance is not enough," Gordon added. "I think I've probably been at 50% in an England shirt. To be honest, I'm nowhere near where I can get to.

"But I'm feeling more comfortable every time I play. I'm looking forward to performing like that more often.

"I probably should have been putting in those performances a little bit earlier. But I felt I played really well against Serbia, and I'm looking forward to kicking on from there."