Newcastle fans absolutely love watching Kieran Trippier, and for Elliot Anderson it is a joy to be playing with the England international.
12 months ago, the thought of Trippier coming to St James’ Park still seemed farfetched. Rumours had began to swirl, but it still seemed strange to think that a Champions League player would consider joining a relegation threatened club.
But in January he did exactly that. Trippier swapped Atletico Madrid for Newcastle, with the new Toon owners spending £12million on their first signing. And it will likely end up being the best £12million they ever spend.
The 32-year-old has been transformative on Tyneside, and has played a huge role in the club’s resurgence over the past year.
Trippier has raised standards at Newcastle, and is doing his best to bring players up to his level rather than dropping his. The right-back is hugely influential at St James’ Park, and Anderson has spoke about his impact since arriving.
Anderson on playing with Trippier
Anderson has spoken to the club’s official website, and addressed what it is like to suddenly be playing alongside Trippier.
“I’ve learnt a lot,” Anderson said.
“I’ve seen players come into the club who I used to watch on the telly! It’s crazy but after a few days, you’ve just got to get used to it because they are your teammates. You have to act like you’re normal with them but in fact you do look up to them.
“For example, when Trippier scored that free-kick at the World Cup, I was only 15 years old at the time and I would never have imagined playing in the same team as him now! A lot of the lads have helped me a lot, bringing me in and helping me to improve.”
Trippier is the perfect role model
Trippier is the perfect player for Anderson to lean on for advice. The right-back has competed at the highest level, but knows what it’s like to dig in further down the league.
As for Anderson, he is a player tipped to enjoy an incredibly bright future with Newcastle. And if Trippier can help him in his development then even better.
At 20-years-old, it must be mad for Anderson suddenly brushing shoulders with the players he watched as a fan. As he says, that Trippier free-kick at the World Cup in 2018 was more than four years ago now. You never would have guessed then that he would be a Newcastle player in 2022.
But he is, and it is a joy to watch him play in black and white. And for Anderson, it is a dream to play alongside him and learn from him.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
