Eddie Howe names the Newcastle United player that is having a ‘frustrating’ season

Eddie Howe admits Elliot Anderson is having a frustrating season at Newcastle United - but has backed the player to play his part between now and the end of the campaign.

After returning from his successful loan spell at Bristol Rovers, the Geordie midfielder caught the eye during pre-season but a number of minor injuries have halted his progress.

Anderson has maintained his fitness in recent months but recently had his full Premier League debut cut short after 22 minutes against Liverpool with Nick Pope’s red card forcing United into a reshuffle.

The 20-year-old has been an unused substitute in league matches against Manchester City and Wolves since, and was handed little minutes in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United.

All in all, that has contributed to a frustrating season for the Whitley Bay-born starlet, but Howe is tipping him to end it strongly - citing his versatility as a major benefit.

"He’s had a good couple of weeks in training I’d say, Elliot,” said Howe. “I’m sure if you asked him, he’d say he’s had a frustrating season to this point because he’s had a number of little niggly injuries, nothing serious, in the early part of the season, which really restricted his time on the pitch.

“Now he’s come back to full fitness and he’s been fit for a while so he’s now built that resilience in his body. He looks in a good place, he’s certainly going to be needed and he’s going to get opportunities between now and the end of the season.

“What I love about Elliot is he’s versatile; he can play wide, he can play inside. With a small squad, he’s got a huge part to play."

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