St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - July 29, 2022, Atalanta's Duvan Zapata in action with Newcastle United's Elliot Anderson.
Elliot Anderson is back in the squad for Newcastle United ahead of their game at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League this afternoon.
The Lowdown: Another win?
Given the fact that they are at home and have come off the back of an impressive 2-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the St. James’ Park outfit will go into this afternoon’s match as favourites.
Eddie Howe’s side have made a great start to the top-flight season, losing just once and cementing themselves in fourth place in the table.
The Latest: Anderson back
Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of the clash against Villa, Howe has confirmed that ‘there’s a chance‘ that Allan Saint-Maximin could make his return from injury, while he also confirmed that Anderson will be ‘back in the squad’ after a ‘minor niggle’ that kept him out of the win against Spurs:
“He’s OK. He had a minor niggle [before Spurs] and it was nothing serious, so he’s back in the squad for this week.”
The Verdict: Big boost
While the potential return of Saint-Maximin would give the Toon Army a major lift, Anderson being back in the squad is also a big boost.
The homegrown talent has made seven senior appearances so far this season, and is a reminder that the Magpies want to develop their own academy players, as well as using their financial muscle in the market.
Anderson has come off the back of an impressive campaign on loan at Bristol Rovers, and no doubt deserves his chance in the first-team set-up.
Nonetheless, if Saint-Maximin is unable to make it, the 19-year-old would still offer Howe a quality attacking option.
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