What a weekend it was for Newcastle United wonderkid Elliot Anderson.
While the Magpies were being battered by Manchester City, Anderson was still probably celebrating what went down 24 hours earlier.
The teenager has been at Bristol Rovers on loan, and his form inspired an unlikely promotion charge. Joey Barton’s side went into the final day with an outside shot at automatic promotion, but seemed most likely set for a place in the playoffs.
That’s not what happened though. A 7-0 win over Scunthorpe gave Bristol Rovers exactly what they needed, with goal difference taking them up to League One.
Who scored the decisive seventh goal? Elliot Anderson. It ends a remarkable loan spell, with the midfielder scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 21 appearance. He’s average a goal or an assist every other game.
They’re remarkable numbers, and proves what a player Newcastle have. The Magpies have high hopes for Anderson, and there’s been speculation that he could feature for Eddie Howe’s side in the final two Premier League games.
However, that is not the case.
Elliot Anderson’s season is over
The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has confirmed on Twitter that Anderson can’t play for the Magpies against Arsenal or Burnley.
He wrote: “It would have been great to see Elliot Anderson for Newcastle in final two games, but club say he is not eligible to feature after loan spell at Bristol Rovers.”
The Chronicle had previously claimed that he would be able to play, but now state that the Magpies would need special approval from the Premier League. Given there’s no real injury crisis at St James’ Park, there’s no way a request would be granted.
While it’s disappointing that Anderson won’t be able to feature, it was never likely. It only became a possibility after Bristol Rovers’ season ended earlier than expected. It looked for all the world that they were heading into the playoffs.
But Anderson’s time at Newcastle will come. He’ll no doubt get minutes in pre-season before Eddie Howe decides whether or not to loan him out again.
Sooner or later, Anderson will be a first-team star for Newcastle United. It feels like a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
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