Preston North End have seen an abundance of top quality players arrive at the club on loan before going on to fulfil their potential elsewhere.
Last season was a prime example of falling for loan players even though you know it will be a painful goodbye when they eventually depart.
Daniel Iversen, Sepp van den Berg and Cameron Archer were all a pleasure to watch, and whilst we still hold hope of Archer returning, the peak of his career is likely to be at a much higher level than the one North End operate at.
The season before last saw Anthony Gordon arrive on loan from Everton towards the end of Alex Neil’s tenure.
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The winger arrived with high hopes to get a first taste of Championship football, and at the time was rated highly by the Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti. Gordon had already featured numerous times for Everton and it looked like an exciting signing for Preston.
Gordon was confident as soon as he came to Preston and in a particular game at home to Queens Park Rangers he showed it with his direct running and trickery on the wing.
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Unfortunately he didn’t start as many games as he should, and a change to the formation under Frankie McAvoy meant he often had to settle for a place on the bench.
Just 11 games came in the Lilywhite shirt of Preston, but he did not let it affect him, as last season he played 40 for Everton and was a key player and they eventually secured safety in the Premier League under Frank Lampard. Gordon went on to win the club’s Player of the Season award voted for by his fellow teammates.
Gordon has also scored four goals in seven games for the England Under 21’s and will probably get a chance in the senior team before the end of next season.
The 21-year-old has recently been linked with a move to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but for now Everton have underlined how important they think he will be for their future plans.
The winger has been handed the number 10 shirt for The Toffees, as reported on the club’s official website.
Gordon takes the shirt from the recently departed Gylfi Sigurdsson. Mikel Arteta, Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku have worn that shirt in recent times, and it underlines the significance of Gordon’s role in the current Everton team.