Gareth Southgate ought to summon Kieran Trippier, his colleague at Newcastle, according to Trippier

Newcastle United have endured a difficult season this time around.

Indeed, everything from the injury crisis to recruitment issues from last summer are believed to be on Eddie Howe’s mind behind the scenes as reasons for the relative malaise in comparison to last year.

Still, it’s not all been bad for Newcastle. They have beaten Paris Saint-Germain, both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and high-flying Aston Villa (twice) this season. Into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and potentially still in with a shout of qualifying for the Europa League, it could be an awful lot worse.

It surely would have been without a certain Anthony Gordon. After a difficult first few months at the club, the £40m former Everton winger has been hailed as one of the standouts in the Premier League this season.

Now, teammate and club captain Kieran Trippier wants to see him rewarded.

Newcastle news: Kieran Trippier delivers Anthony Gordon for England verdict

Speaking after collecting his North East Football Writers’ Association Award, Trippier called for Gordon’s inclusion in the next England squad.

“I hope so,” he said (via the FWA’s X account).

“He’s had a fantastic season. He certainly has been [consistent] this season. I’m not the manager but if I was, I’d certainly select him. He just needs to keep performing, don’t worry about the England situation, just keep performing for Newcastle, as he has been.”

Gareth Southgate will name his next squad in the coming weeks before the Three Lions play Brazil and Belgium later this month.

Anthony Gordon: England’s loss would be Newcastle’s gain

Gordon surely deserves a call up. Only 13 players across the Premier League – many of them natural strikers – have scored more than his nine goals this season. Having registered five assists too, Gordon is one of the most prolific English players around right now.

He also shone for the England U21s as they won the European Championships last summer, so looks well-suited to international football, albeit that is obviously a step below senior level.

Still, England’s loss would be Newcastle’s gain. From a purely club-centric (and rather selfish) view, having him rest for the business end of the campaign during the international break can hardly be a bad thing.