As much as Everton will want Thursday’s clash to be all about their efforts towards earning safety, it will be hard to ignore the overwhelming narrative.
Anthony Gordon is set to return to Goodison Park for only the second time since his £45m move last January, where he bailed on his boyhood club in their darkest hour.
His move has seemingly inspired a newfound rivalry between the two sides, with the Toon Army taking a strange dislike to Evertonians in the last year.
Having since gone on to impress for the Magpies, there was an element of frustration that the 22-year-old could not muster up similar performances to inspire his old club.
Therefore, his potential absence could be catastrophic for Eddie Howe, who has surprisingly become reliant on the young scouser amid the injury crisis felt at St James’ Park.
He would offer an update on his fitness recently, revealing the likelihood of his involvement this week: ‘I don’t know at this moment in time, I hope so. He just said he was feeling a tightness in his hip. Fingers crossed it’s nothing serious.’
How good was Anthony Gordon for Everton?
Well, it is fair to say that the Gordon who currently has six goals and five assists in the Premier League this season is a far cry from the one Everton sold.
As one of those strange moves that benefits all parties, the fee gained was a hugely inflated one that was widely welcomed on Merseyside.
After all, the Liverpool-born left winger had scored just three goals in one half of a season, and would only score one more following his move.
Blessed with blistering raw pace, but plagued by his lack of end product, it is clear that Howe has worked wonders in nurturing Gordon into a player capable of starring at the top level.
However, against Sean Dyche’s deep, rigid defence, it will be interesting to see how the speedster thrives. Especially given the hostile atmosphere he is certain to receive, with his conduct since departing the Toffees hardly indicative of a fan’s behaviour.
With Everton scrapping for points desperately, and the entire squad having bought into the aggressive, hard-working philosophy of their manager, it will be far from an easy night for Gordon, who returns once again to face his old club.
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