Steve Bruce watched Newcastle United’s Under-23s face Stoke City on Monday night to cast his personal verdict on Elliot Anderson and Joe White, according to Chronicle Live.
Anderson and White are both edging close to securing first-team roles at St James’ Park and should feature this season. Bruce has so far been reluctant to rely on young players during the Toon’s testing start to the campaign.
Joe Willock, 22, is the youngest player to feature in the top-flight for Newcastle this far this term. The £25m summer signing has played 349 of a possible 360-minutes over four games since leaving Arsenal in August.
Bruce has also fielded Sean Longstaff and Jamal Lewis, who are both 23, plus 24-year-old’s Allan Saint-Maximin and Freddie Woodman. But Lewis has only featured for six-minutes, only Jeff Hendrick has played fewer with five among those who have played.
Anderson and White could soon buck the trend by turning out for Newcastle in the Premier League at some stage. Bruce awarded Anderson his senior debut in the FA Cup and his top-flight bow, both against Arsenal, in January.
However, Newcastle’s fight for survival saw Bruce rely on experienced pros and Anderson did not make any further appearances. He has not featured in a matchday squad since May, either, partly due to a hip injury sustained this summer.
White, meanwhile, is yet to make his first-team debut after one appearance as an unused substitute to date. Bruce included the 18-year-old midfielder among his back-ups for Newcastle’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester United earlier this month.
Should Bruce utilise Newcastle products White and Anderson more often?
Anderson displayed his obvious potential during both of Newcastle’s meetings with Arsenal in January. The 18-year-old rarely looked out of place during the FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium. He also dug deep searching for a winner in extra-time, and impressed Bruce.
“I think you’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you? As soon as he comes on to the pitch, he accepts the ball and receives the ball,” Bruce said after the game, via Chronicle Live. “He never looks rushed. Everything is effortless to him and easy. We hope he’s got a big future.”
Arsenal clearly noted the threat Anderson posed and sought to overwhelm him when the midfielder received possession. Yet he moved the ball well and kept the Magpies moving. The Scotland youth international has since continued displaying his creativity with the U23s.
Anderson has 12 goals and three assists in 26 career U23s appearances, after finding the net against Stoke on Monday. The teenager converted from the spot to open the scoring, but could not inspire a win as United lost 3-2.
Anderson’s appearance against Stoke also marked the Newcastle talent’s return from injury, and would have caught Bruce’s eye in attendance. White also featured in a deeper midfield role for his 20th U23s outing, after starting all five of the Toon’s PL2 fixtures so far this term.
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