Anthony Gordon: 'I don't think I was ever fully respected' — former Newcastle United star determined to prove his worth at Barcelona

Having barely been linked with a move beforehand, Barcelona quickly wrapped up the signing of Anthony Gordon this summer. The Catalan club announced they had reached an agreement with Newcastle United at the end of May, with Barcelona completing the signing of the English winger for £68m.

It represents Barcelona's biggest investment of the summer, having also spent £51m (€60m) to sign Rodri. Anthony Gordon, who did not really believe in the surprise transfer at the time, has settled perfectly into Hansi Flick's attacking rotation.

The 25-year-old has featured in seven matches, five of them as a starter, registering five assists.

Anthony Gordon competing with Karim Adeyemi at Barcelona

The former Newcastle United man is competing with fellow summer signing Karim Adeyemi for the left-wing spot, with Raphinha undroppable up front and Lamine Yamal equally so on the right wing.

Called up by Thomas Tuchel for England duty, Anthony Gordon put in an impressive performance against Spain (2-3), scoring a fine goal.

During the international break, on his return to England, the Everton academy graduate spoke out about what people in England think of him.

'I think I've become a different player in the eyes of a lot of people because in England I always felt that I was respected for being fast and pressing, but they never really respected the quality and intelligence with which I play', he told ITV Football.

Anthony Gordon wants to prove his footballing qualities at Barcelona

'Only the players I played with seemed to realise that. I don't think I was ever fully respected in England,' he added.

'People just see me as someone who's very fast and very aggressive, whereas in Spain they really appreciate my intelligence and my quality. At Barcelona, if you're not skilful or intelligent, you'll stick out like a sore thumb straight away.'

It was largely to make up for this lack of recognition of his footballing intelligence and technical qualities that Anthony Gordon decided to leave the Premier League to join Barcelona.

'I felt I had more to offer than people thought I did, and I wanted to prove it on the world's biggest stage. Going abroad was very important to me' - the winger stressed. The future is in his hands.