Witnessing a Geordie playing for Newcastle United is something every Toon fan loves to see, and while it hasn’t happened too often, there’s particular interest in Elliot Anderson.
The 19-year-old has been on loan at Bristol Rovers since January and impressed after scoring seven goals. That included the all-important seventh against Scunthorpe on the final weekend of the season - a goal that sent the Gas up to League One.
Anderson is held in high regard by the Newcastle management, so when on Sunday thousands of people got a notification from Twitter saying he had been sold to Rovers, it caught many by surprise. Of course, the tweet turned out to be from a fake account but for a brief moment, thousands of people were tricked into thinking the club had sold the player many hope can be the next Geordie star.
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The reaction to the tweet provided an insight into how desperate people are to see Anderson make it at the club. “This is got to be a joke,” one person responded, while another wrote: “Disappointed, Elliot is a player we should have kept, the lad is class, and it's clearly evident we need his calibre.”
The replies continued in a similar fashion with the feeling being summed up perfect by Twitter user @steffiLB22, who wrote: “If we sold Anderson we would be absolutely crazy - thank god it's not true!”
The responses sum up perfectly how Newcastle fans feel about Anderson, and the fact the fake account chose the youngster as the topic for his or her fishing expedition also provides an insight into where the attention lies. Not only there is a real hope from fans Anderson can make it but a real chance too.
Howe will be able to assess Anderson this summer and make the decision on whether he is ready to become a constant fixture in the first-team squad. With his performances in League Two, there will be a long list to take Anderson on loan next season - something the club could consider to aid his development.
It’s been far too long since United fans had a real reason to be excited about potential academy graduates. But aided by the fact the club’s new owners are keen on improving the numbers coming through from the youth system to the first team - Anderson hopefully will be the first of many to do so in the years to come.
