‘Had a chat’ - Eddie Howe makes fresh Anthony Gordon admission after Everton return

Eddie Howe hopes Anthony Gordon can now ‘move on’ from Everton after his first appearance at Goodison Park since his controversial departure.

The forward left the Toffees under a cloud to join Newcastle United in the January transfer window for a fee of £45 million.

Gordon’s first trip back to Merseyside proved fruitful as Everton sank to a 4-1 loss against the Magpies - leaving them two points adrift of Premier League safety.

The Blues academy graduate started on the bench and was booed when warming up. Gordon came on in the closing stages once Newcastle’s victory was confirmed - and again met by jeers from those who remained in the stadium.

On Gordon’s return, Howe said: “I’m guessing it was difficult for him. I had a chat with him at length yesterday and was confident he would be able to handle the environment after speaking with him.

“It was a good time to bring him on to get it out of the way, really. He’s played, it’s done, the game is pretty much over and it was a good thing for him to mentally deal with and hopefully move on now and focus on his career for us.”