Anthony Gordon’s Development: The Reward of Daily Work Behind the Scenes

How individual coaching, trust, and daily work contributed to the growth of one of England’s most exciting talents.

Football often celebrates the goals, the assists, and the headlines. What is less visible are the countless hours of work that take place every day on the training ground, away from the spotlight.

Recently, Spanish newspaper AS published an article highlighting the development of Anthony Gordon during our time at Everton FC under Rafa Benítez’s leadership. Reading it brought back many memories of a player whose commitment to improvement stood out from the very beginning.

When Anthony returned to Everton after his loan spell, he was a talented young player with enormous potential, but like many young footballers, he was still searching for consistency in his performances. Our objective as a coaching staff was not only to improve his physical and tactical qualities, but also to help him maximise his strengths and develop the confidence needed to perform at the highest level.

Alongside Rafa Benítez, Paco de Miguel and the rest of the staff, we worked on different aspects of his game. My role focused particularly on individual development sessions, spending additional time after training working on crossing, finishing, technical repetition, and the small details that often make the difference in elite football.

What impressed me most was Anthony’s willingness to learn. Improvement is never achieved by coaches alone. It requires a player who is prepared to listen, work, repeat, fail, and try again. Anthony consistently demonstrated that mindset.

Beyond the technical work, we also built a strong personal relationship. His interest in speaking Spanish created a natural connection with our coaching staff, and those daily conversations helped establish trust, which is often one of the most important foundations for player development.

Seeing his progression over the years and watching him become one of the most exciting attacking players in English football has been incredibly rewarding. Not because of any individual recognition, but because it reinforces one of the principles I believe most strongly in as a coach:

Player development is a long-term process built on trust, consistency, hard work, and attention to detail.

I am grateful to have been part of Anthony’s journey and proud of everything he has achieved since those days at Everton.

His success is a testament to his dedication, professionalism, and determination to continually improve.

I wish him every success in the next chapter of his career.

Featured by AS: Anthony Gordon’s Development at Everton FC

Featured by Sport: Los detalles de la explosión de Anthony Gordon, el nuevo fichaje del Barça: “Teníamos claro que iba a llegar a un ‘grande'”