REVEALED: Anthony Gordon could gatecrash England's World Cup squad, with Gareth Southgate set to keep an eye on the Everton star in the coming weeks after impressive performances for U21s

Gareth Southgate  is set to pay particular attention to Anthony Gordon's performances over the next three weeks ahead of England's squad announcement.

The Everton winger is understood to be one youngster being monitored closely before the World Cup after consistently strong displays in the Premier League and for Lee Carsley's Under 21s.

Southgate will reveal his 26-man group later this month and Gordon did his chances no harm on Tuesday night when assisting Conor Gallagher's winner for the Under 21s against Germany.

'If I didn't have the ambition to play for England in the World Cup then I would be a bit stupid,' Gordon said.

'You're always on audition, especially in the Under-21s, because you're so close to the first team. But I understand the squad is so good at the minute that it's going to be really tough to get in.

'I'm 100 per cent focused on making the World Cup squad. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. It's out of my control. But I'll definitely give it my best try.

'To get there I'll need to score a lot of goals in the next couple of games.. I'm ready for that challenge.' Everton face Southampton, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle United before Southgate's announcement.

The FA have been buoyed by Gordon's progression over the past 12 months and he will be considered an integral member of Carsley's side which travels to the European Championship next summer.

Gordon insisted that he would relish a call-up for that tournament even if he was included as Southgate's wildcard in Qatar.

'If I had the option to, yeah,' he added. 'I'd never say I'm not playing for England at any level. It's not my personality.

'If I got the opportunity to do both, I'd love that. Especially because of the work I've done here. I've played most of the qualifiers so I'd like to see it out.

'We're so desperate to succeed because the people who have gone before us, haven't done as well as they should have.

'If you look at the past players who have played in the Under 21s, they should have won some tournaments and it hasn't been the case.

'In the back of our minds is that we want to be the team to really go and do well. I think when we're on it, we're unstoppable.' Chelsea were prepared to pay up to £60million for the Everton academy product during a transfer splurge but the Toffees kept hold of their prized asset. Gordon himself struggled to comprehend the finances involved.

'It's absolutely crazy,' he said. 'Personally, I don't think any player is worth that amount of money but I'm also not going to talk myself down. The money in football, that's just how it is nowadays.

'You're also paying for potential all the time these days. You need to stay humble. You need to focus on today and tomorrow and don't look too far into the future.'