Newcastle United winger Anthony Elangaplaceholder image
Newcastle United winger Anthony Elanga | Getty Images
Anthony Elanga has not hit the ground running since joining Newcastle United for £55million.
Anthony Elanga believes he needs a regular run of games to build “momentum” at Newcastle United.
In a candid interview with Swedish media, the winger insisted he will come good following a sluggish start for the Magpies. Elanga is yet to register a goal or assist in 17 games as a Newcastle player.
Toon chiefs stumped up £55million to sign the 23-year-old after a solid couple of years at Nottingham Forest. An impressive 17 goal contributions in the Premier League last season allowed the Tricky Trees to command a hefty fee.
‘Be ready’ - Anthony Elanga
Speaking to Swedish media on international duty, Elanga backed himself to become a hit on Tyneside. He told SVT: “In football, things happen quickly. You can play one or two games and then start on the bench ten games in a row. So, you just have to be ready all the time.
“We have the League Cup, the Champions League (and) 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 footballer to have that.”
Eddie Howe on Anthony Elanga
When asked about Elanga’s form by NewcastleWorld, Toon boss Howe issued a strong defence of his summer signing. Jacob Murphy was also mentioned as someone who can take the heat off Elanga while he settles in.
“I think he’s just adjusting to a different style of play,” Howe said. “Sometimes that adjustment happens quickly, sometimes it takes a little bit longer with certain players. Anthony is working very, very well. I’m really impressed with his attitude and desire to do well. His focus and professionalism is at the highest quality.
“I really, really back him. I think he’s going to come good and do some amazing things for us. But we’re just taking it slowly with him. While Jacob is playing so well, I don’t see why there’s a big rush. We need to support him, help him and sit back to let him do his stuff.”
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Newcastle United winger record
At the weekend, Harvey Barnes became the first Newcastle winger not named Jacob Murphy to score or assist in the Premier League this season. Howe is aware that he needs more productivity from his wide men.
“Of course it’s (winger record) a concern for us,” he added. “We want all of our attacking players to be flowing and in a really confident place. Our wingers, historically, have been very good in terms of numbers. It’s a big surprise that those stats are what they are. But I back them - I back all of them. They’re all good players and I don’t see an issue with any quality of the players.
“But I think there’s a whole host of reasons and whenever you look at a pure stat, you can jump to conclusions as to why. I think you have to put a bit of context around it. We’ve done that and we need to now help and support those players to get back to their best. If you asked them all, they’d be saying creating, assisting and scoring, so that’s what we need to do.”
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