Gordon warns Premier League intensity is breaking England players down ahead of internationals

Anthony Gordon has suggested the Premier League’s unrelenting intensity is a key reason why England players are picking up injuries at a higher rate than their counterparts in other European leagues, with five players already withdrawing from Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad.

The Barcelona winger, who moved to La Liga from Newcastle United, drew on his own experience of both competitions to make the case. “In England, every game is as hard as the next,” Gordon said. “Playing Arsenal is the same as playing a newly promoted side. That’s the difficulty of the Premier League. Every game is so intense. Everyone can win a game. Hull were unbeaten until they played Newcastle. I think for the English players playing in the Premier League, it can be a lot tougher on the body than it can be playing elsewhere.”

The 25-year-old’s comments arrive amid long-running debate over whether England players reach summer tournaments already running on empty. The latest injury wave to hit Tuchel’s squad has reignited those concerns, and Gordon’s perspective carries added weight given he has now experienced both environments first-hand.

Harry Kane, who left the Premier League for Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga in 2023, is widely considered a frontrunner for this year’s Ballon d’Or — a trajectory Gordon sees as partly connected to the reduced physical toll of German football. Gordon named Kane and his own Barcelona team-mate Lamine Yamal as the two leading contenders for the award.

Yet Gordon made clear he harbours ambitions of his own. “Absolutely. I’ve always dreamt of that since I was a kid. I’ve never had a limit on what I can do in life,” he said. “I understand that the people who are there at some point were not there. Everyone is on their own journey to get there. I believe anyone can achieve anything if they put their mind to it. They just need a lot of luck. They need a lot of things to go their way. I’m trying to do everything I can to be the best player I can be.”

Gordon also revealed he keeps a diary to track his thoughts and ambitions, describing it as a habit that brings clarity. The most difficult entry he has had to write, he said, came after England’s World Cup semi-final defeat. Gordon had put his country ahead before being substituted, only to watch the lead slip away in the closing minutes.

“I did not know what to write,” he admitted. “I wrote down just pure emotion. It was a good few pages, I will tell you that.”