Caulkin claims Anderson may soon get more Newcastle minutes
George Caulkin believes Elliot Anderson could be in line for more Newcastle United appearances in the second half of the season.
The Lowdown: A Chance to Impress
Over the summer, Eddie Howe has been very impressed with Anderson and his performance in the preseason and early stages of the campaign – but he has yet to start a league game.
The academy graduate will have hoped for more opportunities under Howe this season after impressing on loan at Bristol Rovers last time out helping them climb the final day of the campaign.
However, Howe is clearly rating the young midfielder as he didn’t want to lose him on loan during the January transfer window and following the departure of Jonjo Shelvey and Bruno Guimaraes, who are now suspended for three games, he could be in line for more of the record.
The latest: Anderson can be passed more minutes
Caulkin claimed on the last episode of Pod on the Tyne that Anderson could soon be given more meaningful minutes as Howe simply has no options to call up in midfield.
He said: “There’s Elliot Anderson too, I think that’s something important to highlight as well. I think they trust him to a certain extent now, in a sense that he’s getting more chances now and we’ll see if he’s the player we hope he can be.”
Does Anderson deserve more minutes?
Yes!
No!
The Verdict: Howe must show faith in Anderson
This now looks like the perfect opportunity for Howe to see what Anderson is capable of as he only has three senior first-teamers capable of playing in midfield, leaving Anderson his next option off the bench .
The fact that Howe decided against moving to a midfielder in January suggests he actually has great faith in Anderson to take on a Premier League job if called upon to do so, which is for the youngster should be a huge confidence boost.
During pre-season, Howe insisted Anderson had a “very bright future” with the Magpies and now is his chance to show it as he hasn’t gotten any significant minutes in a long time as only brief cameos from the bench have been the best he could hope for.
