Eddie Howe reveals Newcastle United plan for Elliot Anderson

Anderson – who starred on loan for Bristol Rovers last season – has impressed on the club’s tour of Austria. The 19-year-old, wanted on loan by a number of clubs, came off the bench in today’s 1-0 defeat to Mainz 05 at the Kufstein Arena.

United head coach Eddie Howe said: “He did well again. I thought he showed an ability to turn in those tight areas, it was a congested pitch centrally. I thought he did really well a couple of times without being able to force the last pass that we wanted.

"Nothing’s clear at this point. He’s in and around the group. He’s not looking out of place. In that company, that’s saying something.

"We’ll do what’s best for us and Elliot. When I say us I mean the team and the club. I think if we feels he’ll play minutes, we’ll keep him. If he won’t play and contribute, we’ll loan him.”

On the game, Howe said: “I thought that was a better performance than in our first game in Austria. It’s the end of a long week, the lads have done a lot of training.

"I was pleased with certain aspects. Obviously, we need to improve around their goal. Our creativity wasn’t quite there. When you watch pre-season games back, you have to have a very critical eye, but also acknowledging where the lads are at.

"The most important thing is that we’re ready for the first game, not this game today.”