England winger Anthony Gordon says he is performing with a sense of paranoia to make sure he is on the plane to the World Cup.
Jude Bellingham’s absence from Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the friendly with Wales and next week’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia shows that no one’s position is safe.
Gordon has been a regular under Tuchel and impressed during last month’s 5-0 win over Serbia, but the Newcastle man is not allowing himself to get carried away.
“At this level, you see the squad changing all the time, players coming in, players leaving,” he 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. 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.
“Coincidentally, it’s a World Cup year and everyone seems to be flying. 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’s pace and industry down the left was a big plus for Tuchel’s side as they virtually assured World Cup qualification in Belgrade last month.
The Newcastle winger says he is playing the best football of his career for his club, but wants to do more for his country.
“One performance is not enough,” he said. “I think I’ve probably been at 50 per cent 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. That said, 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.”
Gordon admits he is thriving off learning from “genius” Harry Kane. The 24-year-old says he has pestered the England captain for advice on his game.
“I think he’s naturally been doing that for definitely the past two years, since I’ve been playing with him,” he said. “He’s been on fire this year. He’s someone that I try and pick his brains.
“I probably do his head in most of the time to be honest, but I try and just pick anything I can from him because he’s a genius.
“He’s playing at the very, very highest level a footballer can play. So I just try to annoy him and ask him as many questions as I can.”
