The Chronicle’s Aaron Stokes has been comparing Newcastle United’s Elliot Anderson to Phil Foden following his start to the season in the senior side.
Anderson was attracting a lot of interest from lower-league clubs during the summer transfer window, but Eddie Howe decided to keep the youngster around because of the impact he made on the first-team squad during pre-season.
While the campaign has been a slow burner for the youngster, he was afforded 20 minutes on Saturday and instantly made a huge impact – coming on and getting 20 touches of the ball, taking on five Crystal Palace players and creating one big chance.
This has led to Stokes comparing Anderson to young English star Foden, who is a regular for both club and country.
Speaking on the Everything is Black and White podcast, he said: “Elliot Anderson, on the other hand, I mean, I’m glad the club have kept him.
“I thought maybe Saturday was the game to start him. They’ve had a lot of games in quick succession – trips away at Wolves, Liverpool – they looked out on their feet against Liverpool the other night when they were time-wasting.
Should Anderson start on Sunday?
Yes!
No!
“Brilliant when he came on, really, really dangerous, wants the ball all the time.
“He sort of reminds me – and I might get pelters for this – but he reminds me a bit of Phil Foden in the fact that he always wants the ball. He never, ever shies away from it, and when he gets with it, he’s so good at just dancing around, making things happen. I thought he was really, really dangerous on Saturday.”
TIF Thoughts on Elliot Anderson…
It is a huge comparison for Stokes to make given how established Foden is for both England and one of the best teams the Premier League has ever seen in Manchester City, whereas Anderson is yet to make his full debut in the Premier League.
However, judging by his short cameo on Saturday, in which he very often had the beating of Joel Ward, who is an established and solid defender for Palace, it looks like this could be the season he really bursts onto the scene.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has sent scouts to watch Anderson in the past, which suggests he is close to potentially earning his first call-up to the senior squad, which may well come sooner rather than later if he can nail down a starting role under Eddie Howe.