Danny Murphy has stated that he believes it would benefit Anthony Gordon to stay at Everton this season, despite Chelsea's transfer interest.
The former Liverpool midfielder is very impressed by the Toffees' 21-year-old, who has reportedly been the subject of a £60million offer to move to Stamford Bridge.
Gordon played for Everton on Saturday, despite all the talk surrounding him at present
"I completely understand the interest," Murphy said on talkSPORT Kick Off, "I think he's a brilliant prospect.
"He's got lovely balance, two good feet, very courageous on the ball, goes hunting the ball down to make things happen.
"That's a real trait in a young player, especially in an Everton side last year struggling.
"He was the one going to get on the ball, going to make things happen, trying things, beating people.
"And his tenacity and work ethic without the ball is something you don't even need to work on. It's there, it's in him. That's in his heart, that's who he is."
Murphy argued that with squad rotation in modern football, Gordon would be able to feature regularly for Chelsea if he moved now, but admitted he felt he was best served staying put as a first-choice player at Everton this season.
Former Liverpool man Murphy has been impressed by Gordon
"I think, for the lad, he will benefit more from playing another year at Everton, definitely," Murphy added.
"Because he's gonna play every game, he's already super confident, the fans love him, he's comfortable, he doesn't have to prove himself again, he's got that already.
"And he's gonna gain so much experience by playing 90 minutes every week, rather than 12 minutes here and 30 minutes here
"He's gonna learn more."
Gordon's celebration against Everton said it all
On Saturday, Gordon played and scored for Everton amid the speculation, and responded by putting his fingers in his ears for his celebration.
Murphy was very impressed by this and opined: "Anthony Gordon - in a time where we jump on the negative, the attitude and egos of footballers - for a young player to go out and perform like he did, not just the goal, he was at it again.
"His tenacity with and without the ball, his energy, his desire to win, it's there for all to see.
"After a week of speculation, people talking about, 'He's said this, he's said that.'
"Some fans are saying, 'Get rid,' some fans are saying, 'Keep him.'
"It's hard to deal with, he must have had a tough week.
Gordon is just 21
"And Frank Lampard knows him better than I do obviously, he's put him in there, he's told him to go out and play and do his normal thing.
"But the strength of character for Anthony Gordon to perform the way he did, with the speculation around that lad's head and the pressure on everything he's doing at the moment, every word he says or doesn't say, I thought that showed remarkable courage.
"I say remarkable, it's what you should do.
"You should go out and give your best, but not every player does that, we've seen.
"He wasn't sat in the stands licking his wounds, he's not knocking on the door saying, 'I'm not right mentally.'
"And I think it went under the radar what he did at the weekend."
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