Elanga's season is going to be elongated after his selection for Sweden
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Newcastle United, shares a word with Anthony Elanga after their win over Brighton
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Newcastle United, shares a word with Anthony Elanga after their win over Brighton(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
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Newcastle United star Anthony Elanga has been handed the chance to salvage what has been a difficult season for the winger since his move to Tyneside.
Elanga joined United for £55million last summer when he completed his move from Nottingham Forest. It came after a stellar season for the Midlands side, with the Swede's goals and assists helping them into Europe.
Elanga was earmarked to replace Miguel Almiron on the right side of Newcastle's attack, but he has so far failed to recapture his Forest form in a black and white shirt and has yet to score in the Premier League for the Magpies.
The 25-year-old has been an unused substitute for Newcastle's last two games and only played four minutes against Arsenal as Eddie Howe opts for his tried and trusted players, with Jacob Murphy chosen ahead of him.
It is a disappointing end to a difficult season for Elanga, but he has been handed the perfect opportunity to end the campaign on a high after he was selected in Sweden's World Cup squad for the summer tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Sweden coach Graham Potter has named his 26-man party and Elanga is one of British-based players in the squad that also includes former Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
Isak, 26, has had an injury-hit campaign and has only started eight league matches for Liverpool since his £125m British record transfer from Newcastle last summer.
"We obviously hope he finishes the season in Liverpool with some game time," added Potter. "Our challenge is to get Alex in the best moment of the season and for him to hit top form, because if he does, he's a world-class player."
Elanga will be hoping he can get more of a run-out in Newcastle's last two games of the season as he aims to find some form before Sweden fly out to Mexico. He was disappointed to not even get off the bench against Forest on Sunday, despite receiving a warm welcome from fans of his old club.
Sweden, meanwhile, endured a miserable qualifying campaign, finishing bottom of their group with two points, but their performance in the Nations League gave them a second chance and wins over Ukraine and Poland in the play-offs took them to the finals.
Sweden are in Group F and play Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico on 14 June (03:00 BST, 15 June) before two games in the United States - against the Netherlands in Houston on 20 June and Japan in Dallas five days later (00:00 BST, 26 June).
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