Newcastle United have been left seething by Thomas Tuchel's decision to exclude Lewis Hall from England's World Cup squad, with the Three Lions manager perhaps overlooking the quality of player at Eddie Howe's disposal.

At least he'll be rested for the new campaign, and then, restive for success which has passed the Magpies by this year. Newcastle have not been at the races this year, with a potential bottom-half-of-the-table finish in the Premier League consigning them to domestic duties next year.

Howe has worked wonders over the past several years, but the exclusion of Hall is an illustration of how United have fallen this season. They need to return to the limelight, but they will have to do so without Anthony Gordon, who appears set for the exit.

How Newcastle plan to replace Gordon

Gordon has been included in the England squad, and while he will jockey for a berth, expect him to feature prominently under Tuchel.

It may be Gordon's final performances as a registered Newcastle player, with Bayern Munich believed to be closing in on a £75m deal.

It should go without saying that Newcastle are going to need new parts in attack. They need a striker, and moreover, a more direct Gordon replacement. We cannot have a repeat of the Alexander Isak disaster.

Well, according to correspondent Craig Hope, Newcastle are discussing a move for LOSC Lille winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who has been earmarked as the perfect Gordon replacement on the left wing.

Valued at €30m (£25m) as Borussia Dortmund also chase the Belgian forward, having actually made early enquiries, Newcastle need to make a swift decision - something that proved difficult throughout the interminable course of the 2025 summer window.

Why Fernandez-Pardo can replace Gordon at Newcastle

Newcastle writer Pete Davey has remarked that Fernandez-Pardo is an “exciting Gordon replacement”, someone who gets fans off their seats and makes things happen in the final third.

He's hardly the finished article, but the Belgian talent, who has been called up to the Red Devils' World Cup squad, has enjoyed a terrific season with Lille in Ligue 1, potent but also aggressive and willing to take opponents on. In that, he's got the right skillset to dance down Gordon's channel.

Gordon will be a big miss, for sure. He is talented and tenacious in equal measure, willing to embrace his focal role in Howe's system and lead in the space vacated by Isak.

But there's long been a sense that the Liverpool-born winger would eventually move on, would not spend the rest of his playing days under the St. James' Park lights.

That's fine. He's given a lot to the Howe project, and in all likelihood, is replaceable, should they bring in the right successor.

Fernandez-Pardo could be that man. He might be young and inexperienced, but he is already making waves in the Bundesliga, with his versatility and slick dribbling skills endearing him to the Toon hierarchy.

A unique and able runner who is comfortable across the frontline, positionally perfect, weaving into so many promising positions and making things happen. He has not yet sharpened his clinical edge, but there is no question that the amount of chances he earns in the danger area bespeaks his potential in front of goal.

He has a lot in his locker, and that will only be sharpened over the next few years. Flashy and fast with prolific potential that is underpinned by an industriousness that is hard to come by, Fernandez-Pardo is the real deal, with the potential not only to replace Gordon but end up outperforming the England international under Howe's wing on Tyneside.