Anthony Gordon being mentored by two Everton stars as Liverpool vow made

Anthony Gordon has praised the ‘unbelievable’ influence of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman on his development at Everton.

Gordon was handed a full Premier League debut against Liverpool earlier this month and has appeared in every game following the restart of the Premier League.

The 19-year-old admits working with Carlo Ancelotti in a first-team environment is ‘hard to believe’ and insists it is a marker of his progress after initially struggling to hold down a starting spot in the under-23s last season.

Following a dip in form during that period, Gordon revealed he sought out veteran defenders Baines and Coleman for their advice.

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“Leighton and Seamus are so approachable and such nice people,” he said.

“I spoke to them last season – along with my family and my agent, who I am really close with – and I have carried on doing it. They are such good leaders and unbelievable with me.

“I feel I can talk to them about anything, even about details that might seem small but could take me a long way.

“Seamus, for example, tells me I should use a certain movement more often; when I come to the ball, then go away in behind. He says, ’Use your pace, you are powerful, no defender likes running towards their own goal’.

“I went through stages in my youth career when I lost a lot of confidence, but that is natural, managing ups and downs and losing confidence then recovering it helps you grow and mature as a player as you come through the youth system.

“You learn from your mistake and being around first-team players and taking advice, my confidence has grown and grown. I understand more of what the manager wants from me. I am playing with freedom and that is enabling me to perform as I should.”

Gordon joined Everton as an 11-year-old and made his first-team debut in a Europa League dead-rubber against Apollon Limassol in 2017.

Now a fully-fledged part of the senior set-up at Finch Farm, he has vowed to learn from his recent experiences.

“It is still hard to believe [Ancelotti’s confidence] and shows how far I have come,” Gordon said.

“I am an attacking player and have a lot of confidence in myself. If you are trying to create things, you will give the ball away. You have to accept it and move on, you can’t change it.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned playing in the Premier League is you need to take your chances, you don’t get many. If you delay a through ball a split-second, the chance is gone, I missed a couple [against Liverpool] because I delayed them.

“I am always trying to be positive. If I lose the ball, I lose the ball. That is something I am really keen on. At least I am trying to move the team forward and create things.”

Anthony Gordon was speaking exclusively to Everton’s matchday programme for a wide-ranging interview which will feature in the Club’s edition for Wednesday’s visit of Leicester City.

Read Gordon’s full interview, where he reveals the unique lockdown regime which enabled him to hit the ground running following football’s break and revisits a life-altering week in Spain two years ago, in another exclusive-filled 68-page issue.

Carlo Ancelotti, Seamus Coleman and Pat Van den Hauwe also feature in what is sure to become a collector’s item copy.

We will be producing full-length programmes for Everton’s subsequent three home games, against Southampton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, too.

>>>PRE-ORDER YOUR COPIES OF ALL FOUR PROGRAMMES NOW BY CLICKING HERE>>>

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