Anthony Gordon revealed England manager Gareth Southgate was left laughing at the forward after he fell off his bike on a warm-down session at Euro 2024.
The Newcastle forward came out to train on Thursday morning with cuts to his nose, chin, hands and knees and it later transpired he had crashed off an electric bike.
Gordon admitted he had been trying to record a video message for his family when he hit the dirt and that there was initially very little sympathy from Southgate.
“We went on what was meant to be a recovery bike ride,” Gordon explained.
“They are electric so they are faster than normal bikes and, in England, the front brake is on the right-hand side.
“Here, I tried to press the left (brake) just to slow down and, next minute, it has not slowed down, it has fully come to a stop … and I haven’t. I have gone 10 feet in the air, chin first.
“It was a lovely day, I was going down a hill, trying to take a quick video for my family, just to show them what I was doing.
“Before I knew it, I was head first into the floor. I’ve got a got a few grazes, a few cuts but it’s not anything painful.
“He (Southgate) laughed at first, just like everyone else did. It was a bit of a joke. It wasn’t too serious, just a few scratches so everyone was laughing at me and laughing at my pain.”
There was a moral to the story, though, for the 23-year-old, who made his first appearance at the Euros with a late substitute outing in the goalless draw with Slovenia.
“I just carried on and finished the bike ride and when I got back to the camp, I had to put the stuff on it, which absolutely stung. That was the worst bit,” he added.
Rest and recovery out on the road 🚴 pic.twitter.com/PrTMJmzYwK
— England (@England) June 26, 2024
“To be fair, no-one had seen it and I definitely didn’t press record so there were some positives to come from it.
“I’ll get back on, I won’t let that bother me. The thing was, because I was on my phone I didn’t know I was falling off until I hit the floor. I was just focused on my phone. And I went chin first.
“I think the moral of the story is that we spend too much time on our phones these days. The moral of the story is to just enjoy the moment without a phone.”
Despite playing just two minutes of football in Germany, Gordon insists he would be ready if called upon to play a part in Sunday’s last-16 clash with Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen.
“I’m very up to speed,” he said.
“Before the Iceland game (ahead of the Euros) I had the ankle injury which kept me out of the last week or two of the season.
“I had some time off to recover. In the Iceland game I felt a bit rusty and tired but from then on I’ve felt great. In the past week or two I couldn’t have done any more than I have in training.
“It means everything to me, for me it is the pinnacle of football – to represent your country at a tournament doesn’t get much bigger. Especially as a nation and the players we have, you have to do so well to get to this point.
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“I am here now and want to keep on going and establish myself in the team as someone the manager can’t drop. I’m not there yet and have so much to do to get there.
“My main strengths are I am very direct, I’m obviously quick. I know I am a nightmare for anyone that I play against.
“I’m positive. Every time I get the ball, I always want to make something happen. I’m not a very safe player, I am always going for it. I am always trying to put people on the back foot.
“With players we have got – the likes of H (Harry Kane), who likes to drop deep – I think I add a different element to the team.”