Anthony Gordon’s former manager Frank Lampard has praised the Newcastle winger for his willingness to learn.

Lampard spent the best part of a year coaching Gordon at Everton, and he named him as one of five “really good young players” he has worked with during his time in management:

“My biggest pleasure is coaching and improving players, particularly young players, and I’ve had the fortune to work with some really good young players. At Derby, I had Mason Mount, Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori. At Chelsea, Tammy Abraham. At Everton, Anthony Gordon.”

“They are the sponges that are a real pleasure to work with and I love that part of being able to speak to them. I remember being an older player and you’re a bit more cynical. When you’re a young player, you’re like a blank canvas and you can push them.”

After the way that Gordon left Everton, there has been plenty of criticism of the player’s attitude but, in Lampard’s view, he was a model young professional keen to take any advice on board.

Gordon is determined to make the most of his first pre-season at Newcastle

Despite making the move to the Magpies £40m in January, Gordon only made four league starts during the second half of the campaign, with Eddie Howe preferring to use other options for the most part.

However, it appears the 22-year-old is ready to put in the work to impress his manager. He returned to training on Friday, less than a week after helping England win the European Under 21 Championships.

All first-team players are entitled to three weeks’ holiday over the summer months, but Gordon is clearly hoping to lay down a marker in pre-season so he has the best possible chance of being a regular starter at the start of the new campaign.