I'm not quick or fit so I'm a natural keeper, reveals £9m man Gordon

What Gordon did not realise as he hurled himself around on the rug was that he would one day be the man charged with the task of altering England's stereotypical image of hapless Scottish goalkeepers.

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New home: Craig Gordon

After completing his transfer from Hearts to Sunderland yesterday, Gordon will have his every move scrutinised, starting with his debut on Saturday lunchtime against Tottenham, who will field England No 1 Paul Robinson at the other end.

A £9million commitment - £7m plus add-ons - suggests Roy Keane has enormous faith in the 24-year- old, shared by Scotland manager Alex McLeish who is confident Gordon can handle the pressure of stepping into the Premier League as Britain's most expensive goalkeeper.

Gordon, who will sign a fiveyear contract worth £40,000 a week, said: "It's one of the biggest leagues in the world and some of the best players in the world play in it.

"If you want to test yourself at the next level that's definitely something you've got to be looking at. I'm no different to a lot of young Scottish players."

Gordon's father, David, a goalkeeper with Stirling Albion, inspired his son to pull on the gloves even though he was never tall for his age and was nearly released by Hearts at 15 on account of his size.

"I went in goal from fairly early," said Gordon, who shot up through his late teens and is now 6ft 4in. I probably didn't have the legs to make it as an outfield player. I wasn't very quick or had the best fitness. If I was going to make the grade, goalkeeper was the only option for me.

"My dad would stick me in the goals in the garden or even in the living room because the winters in Scotland can be a bit too cold for going out.

"We'd bring the goals in from the garden into the living room and take over my mum's front room. She wasn't very amused at the time but I think she's quite happy that we did now."

Watching his dad perform in the lower levels of the Scottish game also taught Gordon not to squander his talent. He said: "My dad was at Stirling for a short spell, then with some non-league Scottish teams, and before he hung up his gloves he was playing for a Sunday League team.

"I'd still go and watch him and see how he was getting on. That's where it starts, that love for football and goalkeeping. You can pick up things and adapt them to your own game.

"You could see players there who didn't make the top grade and that would spur you on a little and give you that extra couple of per cent you need to get to the very top level.

"It's not always about ability, it's about attitude as well and watching stuff like that can really bring it home to you that you have to work hard."

Gordon's attitude impressed last season when he stood firm as Hearts, the team he supported all his life, looked set to implode when players rebelled against owner Vladimir Romanov.

The goalkeeper appeared with captain Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley at a press conference last October, when the trio lifted the lid on the unrest inside the dressing room.

But Gordon resisted the temptation to speak out when he was dropped for a game at Dundee United, and eventually inherited the captaincy when Pressley was forced out of Tynecastle a month later.

Scotland boss McLeish said: "I wouldn't swap Craig for any of the other keepers in England. I like his cool and his temperament.

"He has handled some tricky situations in his Hearts career, which is a sign of maturity for such a young guy. He is levelheaded and doesn't get carried away. He has shown great dignity through everything."

But managers do not pay £9m for a diplomat. Gordon has greatly impressed in action too, drawing admiring remarks from the world's costliest keeper Gianluigi Buffon, among others. McLeish compares him to Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar and Pressley said: "I played with Andy Goram and Antti Niemi in my career and I never thought I would see a better goalkeeper but I think Craig Gordon is the best I've ever worked with."

Keane shares that high opinion, and that is why he has been prepared to break Sunderland's transfer record to get his man.