If you ever wanted to know just how highly Elliot Anderson is rated by his peers, you only need to look through former team-mate Leon Clarke's contacts. There you will find Anderson's number saved under the name 'wonderkid'.
Clarke shared a dressing room with Anderson at Bristol Rovers in the second half of last season and Callum Wilson's one-time strike partner admitted he has only played with two other players who showed such promise at a similar age: James Maddison and Reece James.
"It was his composure, confidence and strength," Clarke told ChronicleLive. "He was always in the gym every morning before training doing extra. He was so comfortable on the ball. He would take it anywhere even when marked.
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"He was also a really nice kid as well. You can see he’s been brought up really well by his family and Newcastle. He was not cocky or arrogant - he let his football do the talking."
That is high praise indeed. Clarke was a senior figure at Bristol Rovers and Anderson quickly won the respect of both the 37-year-old and his team-mates while on loan at the Memorial Stadium.
Anderson, who was nicknamed Billy Elliot, on account of his ballerina-like feet, was directly involved in 13 goals in 21 games at Rovers. Having joined Joey Barton's side when the Gas were 12th in League Two, Anderson ultimately scored the goal that clinched automatic promotion just a few months later.
Was it any wonder that Eddie Howe vowed to take a closer look at Anderson in pre-season? The Newcastle boss quickly noticed how Anderson not only returned in even better shape, developing the physique and engine to thrive at this level, but, also, with even more belief. That really is saying something. Anderson, after all, never felt out of place when he made the step up to the first team at the age of just 17.
Howe already knew what Anderson could do on the ball and how fearless the youngster was. However, what has also struck Newcastle staff is Anderson's mentality and how he has adapted to Howe's intense demands off the ball when it comes to his ability to press and carry out instructions.
Anderson, as a result, has gradually earned Howe's trust and that has been reflected in the amount of game time the academy graduate has been given in recent weeks. After starting the League Cup tie at Tranmere, which was his first competitive outing of the campaign, Anderson then came on in the 84th minute at Wolves and Liverpool before getting 20 minutes of action against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Although Anderson nearly won Newcastle the game at Wolves six days previously, when his header struck the bar, the 19-year-old's cameo at St James' on Saturday was his most impressive to date. In truth, Anderson was kicking every ball before he even entered the field; the boyhood Newcastle supporter even let out a roar and applauded Joelinton after the Brazilian won the ball back near the touchline with a committed challenge before he came on.
Anderson quickly caught the eye, himself, after dispossessing Jordan Ayew by the halfway line and skipping down the left flank. The substitute went on to swing in a couple of teasing deliveries that were begging to be knocked in later in the game and even turned experienced Palace skipper Joel Ward inside out. All of a sudden, so many of Newcastle's attacks came down the left-hand side and it looked like something was going to happen whenever Anderson got the ball as he repeatedly demanded it from his team-mates.
These sorts of cameos have certainly given Howe food for thought. Anderson has mainly been used by Howe through the middle but, clearly, the attacker's versatility will be very useful when opposition defences are tiring, particularly now that Premier League clubs can make five substitutions. Saturday was a prime example of that as Anderson caused Palace huge problems down the left and, at this rate, the 19-year-old is not far off starting a game in the top-flight.
You can see why Howe has repeatedly said that Anderson will be 'integral to our plans' and likened the academy graduate's impact to that of a 'new signing'. The Whitley Bay lad could certainly save Newcastle millions in the transfer market in the years to come.
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