'He's going through a process': Eddie Howe speaks about Anthony Elanga's absence from recent starting XIs
Jacob Murphy has recently reclaimed his place on Newcastle United's right flank after £55 million summer signing Anthony Elanga started the season in that position.
Eddie Howe had been a long-term admirer of Swedish international Anthony Elanga, but had to wait over a year to finally get his man through the door at St James' Park.
Elanga started the season as the first-choice on the right flank for Newcastle, but just two games into the campaign, Eddie Howe reverted to last season's standout star, Jacob Murphy, as first-choice.
The move paid off on Saturday as Murphy provided a sublime cross for Nick Woltemade to nod home against Wolves. Murphy even came close to adding to the scoreline a couple of times.
Eddie Howe says Anthony Elanga is still getting to grips with Newcastle's style of play
As a result of that performance, we've backed Murphy to start again tomorrow night in the Champions League as Newcastle take on Barcelona. Judging by what Eddie Howe said to the media about Elanga during Wednesday's press conference, it seems like a safe bet, as the Newcastle boss says Elanga is still adapting.
"He's in a good place. I've been really pleased with how he's integrated himself with the group and how he's committed to the training we've asked him to do.
"He's got standout qualities and attributes that we need - similar to Anthony Gordon, he's got that pace and directness. He's going through a process where he's trying to understand everything that's required of him here, which is very of what was required of him at his former club, where he did really well last season in a slightly different style.
"That acclimatisation will take a period of time, but he's well on the way to doing that and I'm delighted with him."
Anthony Elanga will become a huge player for Newcastle in time
Anthony Elanga's unbelievable pace is a huge asset for Newcastle, but it's no use if he's not aware of where his teammates are going to be, or if he doesn't know what to do when he's found the space.
That will come in time when he learns Howe's patterns of play, and we've no doubt that will come.
In the meantime, Jacob Murphy looks to have picked up where he left off last season, and even though he doesn't have Alexander Isak to aim for anymore, it looks like Nick Woltemade is going to fill that void nicely.
