Eddie Howe drops major selection hint on ‘incredible’ duo ahead of Everton clash

Newcastle United secured a dramatic comeback win over West Ham on Saturday thanks in large part to their substitutes. Match winner Harvey Barnes, Lewis Hall and Elliot Anderson all changed the game and Newcastle’s fortunes after coming onto the pitch.

Suspension for Anthony Gordon means Barnes is likely to start tonight, but what about Anderson and Hall? Neither have seen too much Premier League action this season with Anderson being ruled-out through injury and Hall having to predominantly watch on from the bench throughout the campaign.

Although the pair had little over half an hour to impact the game on Saturday, both took their chance to impress Eddie Howe and could be asked to start against the Toffees this evening. Certainly, Hall’s performance impressed United’s head coach with Howe admitting that the Chelsea loanee has given him ‘food for thought’ ahead of tonight’s game: “It's huge for him and it's huge for us because he's done an incredible amount of work behind the scenes to work on various aspects of his game as we would with any young player.” Howe said.

“He's come on and made a real difference and I thought he came on against Manchester City and did really well. That's his part of the bargain, when he plays he has to do well enough to try and stay in so he's given me a lot of food for thought.”

Anderson, meanwhile, is currently continuing his recovery from a back injury that saw him miss 25 matches between October and February. Described as a ‘freak’ injury at the time, Anderson’s absence has meant he hasn’t kicked on as many, including Howe, expected him to this season. However, the 21-year-old has been tipped to rediscover his best form by his head coach who is hoping for ‘big things’ from the midfielder.

Speaking about Anderson and the role he has in the Newcastle United team going forward, Howe said: “I felt at the start of the season that he would come into the team and have an outstanding season. I thought it would be his breakthrough season because during pre-season I thought he was outstanding. Unfortunately we lost him through, again, another strange injury really but he's back and he's looked really, really good since coming back. 

“I'm really, really pleased with him. As much as I can talk about his potential and what he can deliver, he needs to deliver it when the pressure is on and he did. I thought he was sensational when he came on."

Howe continued: “He is different. He's got that mix of technical ability, goalscorer's mindset, he'll deliver the last pass but he's also tenacious and athletically he's very good. Although he's been out injured and he's sort of early steps, he's really good athletically so I hope for really big things just as long as he can stay fit.”

A win for the Magpies tonight would see them end the game in 7th place. West Ham, who currently sit one point above them in the table, face Tottenham Hotspur at 8:15pm, meaning their match will finish around 45 minutes after Newcastle’s clash with Everton has concluded.