Eddie Howe will have expected more from Newcastle United summer signing Anthony Elanga.
The hope was that the Sweden international would hit the ground running following his £55million arrival from Nottingham Forest. He became one of Newcastle United’s most expensive signings ever, but is yet to come close to justifying that fee.
Bar one exceptional Champions League performance against USG, it has been a tough start to life on Tyneside for Anthony Elanga.
That tough start continued during Newcastle’s win over Athletic Club on Wednesday night, with Harvey Barnes starting on the right of attack ahead of the 23-year-old.
While that decision does not reflect well on Elanga, it is one that the summer signing will be thanking Eddie Howe for in the long run.
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Eddie Howe is protecting Anthony Elanga, and it’s the right thing to do
Before a ball was kicked, it felt like Elanga would be a guaranteed starter for Newcastle United. However, it quickly transpired that it would take him a bit of time to get up to speed in black and white.
There is no shame in that, with Howe backing Elanga to come good over time.
But pressure has been mounting on Elanga, with fans growing frustrated with his limited impact. There have been plenty of grumbles of discontent inside St James’ Park, with the speedster clearly suffering from a lack of confidence.
With that in mind, Howe is being smart by removing Elanga from the firing line. He is protecting him, rather than punishing him.
He is getting the chance to watch closely what Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes do on the right of attack, as they are two players who understand what the manager wants and have earned his trust.
Elanga will earn that trust, but for now it is sensible to allow him to watch from afar.
It has been reported that Newcastle staff know Elanga needs an arm around him rather than a rollocking. He is clearly a player who needs self-belief to perform at his best, which is why not exposing him to potential fan frustration is very clever.
His £55million move to Newcastle United currently looks like a blunder, but there is no doubt that Elanga will eventually come good.
What Newcastle United fans did to Anthony Elanga during Athletic Club win
While Elanga started the evening as a substitute, he did make an appearance during the Champions League win over Athletic Club.
He replaced Harvey Barnes in the 66th minute, deployed on the left of attack before ending the game as striker.
At the time of his introduction, Lewis Hall was also making his comeback from injury. Fans were delighted to see him back in the side, with the Lewis Hall chant being belted out by the Toon Army.
Not to leave Elanga out, the Newcastle United fans then sang his name too. It was a show of faith from a fanbase who are yet to see the best of their number 20.
That will have meant a lot to Elanga, who will be desperate to start shining for the Magpies like he did for Nottingham Forest.
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