Tim Sherwood believes Newcastle United have a ‘fantastic’ squad player in Elliot Anderson after his cameo at Nottingham Forest. Eddie Howe utilised the midfielder on the left wing.
Newcastle took a 2-1 win at the City Ground on Friday night to support their push to finish the Premier League season in the top four. Anderson started the fixture on their bench but entered the game at the break. He replaced Allan Saint-Maximin due to a hamstring injury.
Taking to the pitch under the Friday night lights returned just Anderson’s 19th appearance for the Newcastle first-team. The 20-year-old made his senior debut under Steve Bruce in January 2021. But chances to earn further minutes have often been thin and far between.
Anderson impressed Sherwood during an out-of-position cameo for Newcastle
Through his 19 senior outings so far, Anderson has only featured for 444 minutes across all competitions. Howe has afforded the Scotland U21 international 402 of his minutes so far this term. But he has earned 179 in the Premier League and started one of his 12 matches.
Anderson is also yet to score or provide an assist for Newcastle but he came close to a first goal at Nottingham Forest. The central midfielder had the ball in the back of Keylor Navas’ net after rising above Serge Aurier at the rear post to head home Alexander Isak’s delivery.
But VAR Peter Bankes and referee Paul Tierney conferred and ruled out Anderson’s goal at Nottingham Forest. The officials deemed Sean Longstaff was offside in the build-up after Felipe blocked Isak’s initial cross. Yet Moussa Niakhate then kicked the ball into Longstaff.
What has Sherwood now said about Anderson against Nottingham Forest?
Bankes and Tierney did not view Felipe and Niakhate’s deliberate moves to play the ball to be deliberate acts. So, Anderson ended an outstanding performance at Nottingham Forest without a first goal for Newcastle. Yet he did enough from the bench to impress Sherwood.
“He’s a good player and he’s not a left-sided player, either,” Sherwood said on Sky Sports News (18/03, 12:15). “He’s playing out of position there but Eddie knows he’ll do a job for you. He wants to get on the field. He had a loan spell at Bristol Rovers.
“I think the kid’s got an eye for a goal. He can score, he’s a big lad, very powerful. But he’s a central midfield player. I mean, he looks like Longstaff – doesn’t he – he’s that sort of mould. But he gets in, he knows when to arrive in the box.
“I think he’s a good all-round player for them and will be a fantastic squad player and one they’ll want to keep hold of and nurture because they all love one of their own.”
Newcastle academy product Anderson spent the latter half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Bristol Rovers. He played 21 League Two games during the Whitley Bay-born gem’s spell at the Memorial Stadium. He also scored eight and assisted five goals under Joey Barton.
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