'Huge miss' - Newcastle United fresh fitness claim after 'versatile' star ruled out for 18 weeks

Elliot Anderson is pushing to make his first Premier League appearance in over four months for Newcastle United following his long-awaited injury return.

The midfielder came off the bench and scored a penalty in Newcastle's FA Cup shootout win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Tuesday night. It was Anderson's first outing since suffering a stress fracture in his back in October.

Now the 21-year-old is set to make the bench for Saturday's Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James' Park (3pm kick-off). Anderson has made 13 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions this season and head coach Eddie Howe believes the academy graduate can still have a big part to play in The Magpies' season.

The initial prognosis for Anderson's injury was eight to 12 weeks out, but the midfielder ended up sidelined for over 18 weeks in total due to some minor set-backs.

"It certainly wasn’t quick from our side or from Elliot’s, he has been hugely frustrated that he hasn’t been able to kick on sooner and return to training sooner," Howe said.

"I think it was the kind of injury where he had to be very patient, which is hugely frustrating. He felt okay but with that type of injury he had to be very careful, and we had to be careful with him.

"But when he started his rehab and started back on the grass he looked really good and he felt fine. The last stage of his injury has been pretty quick.

"We were very keen to get him on the pitch with penalties in mind. We see him every day practising penalties and he executes them very well but still he had to come in relatively cold, he was only on the field five minutes then had to have the composure to execute it and he did superbly."

Sandro Tonali's suspension and Joelinton's injury could allow Anderson to make an impact in Newcastle's midfield this season. But with Joe Willock also recently returning from a long-term injury, there is still plenty of competition for places as the pair look to get back up to speed.

“Very similar to Joe Willock and a couple of other players, he’s technically fit but maybe not in the condition that we need him in to play regularly," Howe admitted. "We’re going to have to nurse him back and look after him because we want him to stay fit.

"[Anderson] has been a huge miss for us because of his versatility. To have his ability to play wide, central, creative, goalscorer, when you miss him and Joelinton at the same time a lot of the versatility in the squad goes and your ability to chop and change things. [It's] great to have him back."

There are 12 matches remaining in Newcastle's Premier League season as they currently sit 10th in the table after 26 matches. Anderson is still looking to score his first competitive goal for the club despite heading into the new campaign as the club's top scorer in pre-season.