Anthony Gordon achieved his “long-term dream” by making his debut for the England national team on Saturday.
Gareth Southgate threw the Newcastle United in from the start, starting Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on the bench in a surprise decision.
Although the Three Lions lost at Wembley to a second-half tap-in from Endrick, the England boss felt Gordon put in an “excellent” performance on the night.
The 23-year-old may not have been on the winning side, but he was nonetheless beaming after making his first appearance for the senior team after impressing for the Magpies this season.
“Tonight was the best day of my life,” Gordon told BBC Radio 5 Live after the final whistle.
“I envisioned it a bit different with a win and a goal. I thought we were the better team but we lacked that cutting edge that they had at the end.
“This is my long-term dream I have had. To achieve it means everything to me.
“I haven’t just envisioned it in the last couple of years, I have imagined it in the garden [as a kid] recreating (Wayne) Rooney and (Steven) Gerrard’s goals – it’s just an amazing moment.
“We have to find a way of killing teams and putting them to the sword when we get the chance.”
Asked if there was anything he could do better, Gordon answered: “Score! When you come off you think you could have done better.
“The chance in the first half with the volley, if I am being hard on myself, I would have liked to score it.”
With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Gordon has done his chances of being on the plane to Germany no harm, but he is taking nothing for granted.
“You can never truly be in this England squad with the talent around you,” he said. “I have got so long to go as I haven’t showed them what I can do to a full extent.”
