Bristol Rovers boss and ex-Newcastle United hero Joey Barton spoke on his new loanee Elliot Anderson‘s first training session with the club. The 19-year-old signed on deadline day for the Gas, who sit 12th in League Two currently.
Barton has been in charge of Bristol Rovers since February 2021. He was sacked in December 2021 by his previous side Fleetwood Town.
The training session was the first not just for Anderson, but for Jon Nolan, who they signed from Ipswich. With high hopes on his shoulders and impressing for the under-23s, Anderson will hope he can make an impact in League Two.
Barton believes that Anderson is at an age when you feel ‘invincible’
After completing his first training session, the ex-Magpies midfielder was asked by Bristol Live about how he and Nolan faired.
Barton stated, “Both joined in training today, albeit in different parts.” The two players are at different stages of fitness Nolan is still needing to get back to being match ready.
In regard to Anderson, he said, “Young Elliot is at a different end of the scale. He’s at that Superman age when you’re pre-23 or whatever it is for a player when you feel invincible.”
It’s still incredibly early days for Anderson. However, it’s good to hear that his first session showed Barton that he is in top fitness.
The prospect has had a small taste of first-team exposure at Newcastle. The FA Cup appearance against Arsenal was a stand-out moment for him.
League Two is a good starting point for Anderson. Granted, at one point he was linked with a loan move to Luton in the Championship according to The Athletic.
However, he’s still only 19-years-old, so there’s plenty of time for him to perhaps be loaned elsewhere and break into the first team.
Only time will tell with how well Anderson will get on at Bristol Rovers. But having an ex-player in Barton will be a source of good on-pitch advice. Both are midfielders after all and Barton knows what it takes to do well on Tyneside.
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