Newcastle United ready to sanction temporary exit for young midfielder

Newcastle United prospect Elliot Anderson is reportedly close to securing a loan move to Championship club Luton Town.

The Athletic have reported Nathan Jones’ side want to make the talented 19-year-old their first signing of the January transfer window and Magpies boss Eddie Howe is happy to allow Anderson to depart on a temporary basis.

The attacking midfielder had been tipped to make the first loan move of his career 12 months ago after making his senior debut in an FA Cup defeat at Arsenal.

However, to the surprise of many, he remained with the Magpies and went on to make just one more substitute appearance before the end of the campaign.

Anderson has been in fine form for United’s second string this season and has scored seven goals in seven games in all competitions including a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest in November.

Luton Town’s long-lasting interest

He has made the first-team matchday squad for Premier League games against Watford, Wolves, Manchester City and Manchester United and Saturday’s FA Cup defeat against Cambridge United - but it seems likely his first senior appearance of the season will now come in the Championship with Luton.

The Hatters were heavily linked with Anderson during the summer and Hatters boss Nathan Jones confirmed he had asked about the possibility of a loan move in December.

He said: “We know Elliot very, very well.

“We inquired about him in December, but he’s been injured, so there was never any legs in that.

“Elliot’s someone we know about and is on our list, as are quite a lot of them.”

What about the rest of Newcastle’s youngsters?

A number of other United prospects are attracting the attention of EFL and National League clubs and more loans moves could be in the offing before the end of the month.

The likes of Joe White and Dylan Stephenson have all been discussed by potential suitors.

Portsmouth were also linked with a loan move for Magpies left-back Matthew Bondswell - but the speculation was played down by Pompey manager Danny Cowley.

Ahead of the January transfer window opening, he told The News: “There’s no truth in that.

“He is a player who I have some awareness of, but he’s not even been on any of our lists or on our radar and I’m not quite sure where that name has come from.”