Newcastle United have not had it easy this season.
Whether or not you can fully attribute Newcastle’s relative Premier League struggles this season to the unrelenting injury crisis is up for debate.
Still, it cannot be ignored.
The fact is, Eddie Howe has had to play for most of the season without relying on much of his squad.
That was particularly disappointing for young Elliot Anderson.
The 21-year-old was being tipped for a big season following his performances during the summer break but missed a significant chunk of the campaign due to a complicated back injury.
Howe has since praised Anderson for his work in the first-team since returning, while teammate Antony Gordon hailed him as a “top” player.
It’s promising to see Anderson start to get regular football after such a difficult season on the injury front and the midfielder has now opened up on what it was like to have missed so much action.
Elliot Anderson shares update after Newcastle star injured for months
Speaking before Saturday’s win over Sheffield United, Anderson told Newcastle’s official website that he had a very difficult time of things when having to watch on from the sidelines.
“I struggled, to be fair,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say I dealt with it amazingly. Every day, when I’d go to bed, I’d be counting another day off to the six-week scan. When I got that news about it being another six weeks, for the first few days I struggled. But then I managed to pick myself up and be ready for the next six weeks.”
Elliot Anderson must truly kick on next season
There has been a lot of hype about Anderson for a while now.
Clearly, he can do little about his injury and he should be afforded time to fully get back into the swing of things, as any developing young player deserves.
Still, there’s a relative amount of pressure on Anderson. If another season passes without him delivering on his potential, it would leave him at somewhat of a crossroads.
There’s clearly talent there and injuries have been frustrating. Hopefully for both Anderson and Newcastle, he’s through the very worst of it.
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