Elliot Anderson may be getting rave reviews for his performances in a Bristol Rovers shirt, but Joey Barton believes the playmaker needs to become more productive to break through at parent club Newcastle United.
Rarely would a teenage prospect on loan in League Two get so much attention, but that is testament to the impact Anderson has made in a blue and white shirt. Aesthetically, he is a talent far superior to the level; Magpies star Allan Saint-Maximin was right about the 19-year-old's ability with the ball at his feet and Eddie Howe has certainly been proved correct in his view that a club higher up the pyramid should have taken Anderson on loan in January.
Anderson has proven a nightmare one-on-one matchup for any League Two defender he has encountered so far and the playmaker's three goals and three assists in 15 appearances have had a significant influence in Rovers' excellent form.
But Barton is sure Anderson can enhance those numbers due to his sheer influence on a game, and the Rovers manager believes that will be the key if the playmaker is to get a chance at Newcastle when he returns for pre-season.
"He’s got a lot of quality that’s for sure," Barton said. "I haven’t seen anybody (as talented in League Two). There've been a few good players, certainly in the opening gambit of the season when Swindon came here they had a few good ballplayers, (Harry) McKirdy, people like that, some quality operators. That’s probably not for me to answer because I’m biassed, because I think he’s superb.
"I think our fans have taken to him because he gets you off your seat. You would be really pleased watching him have the ball for 90 minutes because he’s just got such quality.
"The challenge for him is getting that final (part). He gets in one-on-one and chops everyone but you need them goals. That’s what’s going to make Eddie Howe sit up and take notice because unfortunately Eddie probably won’t watch our game. He would not watch but he’ll just see if Elliot has assisted or scored. He’s preparing for Tottenham tomorrow, I don’t think he’ll be watching League Two.
"For El, I think if you get sent from a Premier League club to League Two, he’s been getting loads of rave reviews, so he’ll be aware of it but to get anywhere near Newcastle’s first team next season with the money they might have available to them, he needs them goals or assists."
Anderson was not Rovers' first-choice target in January, with Fleetwood Town's Callum Camps the priority for Barton and his staff. With the Cod Army selling Jay Matete to Sunderland on deadline day, Camps stayed put and Rovers also fell short in a late move for former Gas star Liam Sercombe. But things have certainly worked out just fine for Rovers in the end.
Barton is certain Anderson won't be seen again in League Two, believing he is ready to compete at a higher level. Howe has suggested the player could be available for loan again next season, with Championship clubs reportedly interested.
"I think at the level above you might have a sniff (of signing him next season)," Barton continued. "That’s the horrible thing as a coach because we could have a really good team in League One or if we’re in League Two next year we could lose lots of our players.
"But we’ll find them, I know where they all are. Luckily for me, I’ve got an unbelievable team that can find good players and that’s a group effort. To find Elliot Anderson in the midst of us chasing down a transfer target which was priority number one for the whole of the window, but that didn’t work out.
"To have Plan B, C and D is a credit to our recruitment staff and the work they do. As a manager, you get very focused on target one, 'Let's take that off the board' and you start making plans for that.
"But then they’re like 'Hang on if this doesn’t happen we need to be prepared and take B or C'.
"Elliot was Plan B, believe it or not. Sometimes you need a bit of luck because plan A was definitely not as good as Plan B. He wasn’t, I’ll tell him to his face."
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