Newcastle United winger Anthony Elanga is still waiting for his Magpies career to catch fire as he links up with Sweden again.
Malick Thiaw is back in the Germany squad after making an immediate impact at Newcastle United.
Sadly, not all of Newcastle’s summer signings have managed to hit the ground running like Thiaw.
Yoane Wissa remains on the sidelines, Jacob Ramsey has yet to make an impact and Anthony Elanga has been a major disappointment.
Newcastle paid £55million to sign Elanga from Nottingham Forest, but the Swede has struggled.
Anthony Elanga in Newcastle United training.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Anthony Elanga on Newcastle United momentum
Speedy Elanga was a menace at Forest, and Newcastle fans hoped to see similar quality at St James’ Park.
Outside of Elanga impressing against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League, he just hasn’t shown enough.
Jacob Murphy has already reclaimed the right-wing spot from Elanga, who has now commented on his Newcastle displays.
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Speaking to SVT in Sweden, Elanga noted that fortunes can turn very quickly in football.
Elanga looked towards opportunities in a number of different competitions in an attempt to find his best form again.
Elanga also pointed out that momentum is important for players in order to perform to a high level – something he hasn’t really been given at Newcastle.
“In football, things happen quickly. You can play one, two games and then start on the bench for ten games in a row. So you just have to be ready all the time,” said Elanga.
“We have the League Cup, the Champions League, the FA Cup which hasn’t even started yet and then we have the Premier League too. So it’s important for me to be healthy so the opportunities will come.
“You always get hungry, you always want to start and try to help the team. When you start and play several games, you build momentum. It’s important for a football player to have that,” he added.
Newcastle United result Anthony Elanga’s minutes played
Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle United 78
Newcastle United 2-3 Liverpool 90
Leeds United 0-0 Newcastle United 28
Newcastle United 1-0 Wolves 10
Bournemouth 0-0 Newcastle United 28
Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal 24
Newcastle United 2-0 Nottingham Forest 70
Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Newcastle United 45
Newcastle United 2-1 Fulham 14
West Ham United 3-1 Newcastle United 13
Brentford 3-1 Newcastle United 13
Anthony Elanga caught in difficult Newcastle United situation
Elanga is correct in saying that players need momentum in order to perform well.
It’s difficult to reach top form when coming in and out of the side and feeding off scraps from the bench.
The problem is that Elanga hasn’t done enough in his starts to justify keeping his place.
Elanga has only started four Premier League games for Newcastle, and he has played more than 70 minutes in a league game on just three occasions.
Elanga may feel that coming off the bench late on isn’t helping him, but he simply hasn’t given Howe a reason to start him more regularly.
Howe has defended Elanga and believes that he will come good for Newcastle, but he will need to make the most of limited opportunities as things stand.