Eddie Howe has admitted Anthony Gordon is in contention to make a first Newcastle United start this weekend when Liverpool visit St James' Park.
Gordon, who joined the Toon Army in January as part of a £45million deal, has so far made two substitute appearances for his new club since leaving Everton.
Injury issues to key players such as Joe Willock and Allan Saint-Maximin could result in the 21-year-old receiving increased opportunities in the coming weeks - starting on Sunday against the Reds.
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Asked if Gordon's display against Bournemouth on Sunday has put the youngster in contention to go head-to-head with Jurgen Klopp's side from the offing, Howe told reporters: “Yeah, he has. It will be interesting! But I have to say he's trained really well, played really well in the two games he has had and we're delighted with him.
"At times you have to be flexible. You can have a preferred way of playing but we'll always be able to tweak certain personnel or systems and you have to. We were quite prepared to do that, we were prepared to do it and we knew it was an option for us. Anthony came on and did really well in that central zone.”
Reflecting on Newcastle's previous meeting with Liverpool at the start of this season, which saw Fabio Carvalho net a 98th-minute winner at Anfield, Howe added: “It was a very painful experience, I'll tell you that. With a minute to go, well seconds left when we conceded the second. It was a painful experience but maybe it did ignite our fires and do something to make us more resolute to respond in a positive way. We have since that game.
"We look forward to the match. We go against Liverpool, it is always a difficult game but it is something to look forward to.”
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