Anthony Elanga missed out on the opportunity to face one of his former teams on Boxing Day. The Newcastle United forward was left out of the squad that lost at Manchester United yesterday 1-0. After the defeat, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe explained why:
“He just took a knock against Chelsea. We don’t think it’s too serious. We hope to have him back pretty quickly.”
Festive Fixtures FYIs
Newcastle United at Burnley FC
Kickoff: Tue Dec. 30, 7:30pm, Turf Moor, Burnley, UK
Newcastle United Preview Material: Team News Part 1 Team News Part 2
Newcastle Team News at Burnley
So perhaps Elanga will be in the side that travels to Burnely on Tuesday night then?
Elsewhere Sven Botman is recovering from a lower back problem, and he’s among the group of injured Geordies who could return for this clash, or perhaps next weekend instead.
Howe said on Tuesday:
“Sven would be in the category of a group of players that’s doing well. And again, we hope to get him back pretty soon, when that day is, I’m not 100% sure. He hasn’t trained with the group yet, but it’s potentially good news. I don’t think he’s too far away.”
The last time Howe spoke on the status of William Osula, he also provided an update on the injury/fitness status of the side as a whole, sort of, kind of.
“Unfortunately, Will is not sort of imminent in his return,” Howe said.
“We’ve got a lot of players that are close to returning in and around New Year. That’s not quick enough for us at the moment.”
Yes, they need reinforcements to squad depth, and they need it now. Luckily, New Year’s is almost here so those players will be coming back soon.
We’ll cover that topic in the next post.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.