Newcastle United must stop 'unproblematic' favourite who Eddie Howe would love in this Magpies team

Eddie Howe has always admired Newcastle United players who can occupy multiple roles - just look at the likes of Joe Willock, Lewis Hall, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali who have all shown that particular capability in recent games.

With that in mind, watching Elliot Anderson flourish at Nottingham Forest must be hard for the Newcastle boss - and the club's passionate fan base - ahead of the first reunion with the Magpies' academy graduate this weekend.

The versatile midfielder was one of two top talents sacrificed as Newcastle suffered a PSR-induced fire sale in late June; losing Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Hove Albion. Since then, the 21-year-old has gone from strength to strength under Nuno Espirito Santo, who has been impressed by how unproblematic it has been shifting Anderson into various positions in his midfield and across his front line in recent weeks.

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"Since pre-season, Elliot has been playing in different positions. He has been wide, he has played as a second midfielder and now he is playing in the role of the 10 and he is learning from this experience." Nuno told Sky Sports this week.

"I believe there are players where maybe that can be a problem because you are changing their position. But I believe that Elliot is a player who is able to start in different positions and still be able to play his own game. I think that makes him better."

Newcastle travel to the City Ground this weekend, hoping to continue their fine run of form against one of the Premier League's most in-form sides. Anderson, along with fellow former Magpie Chris Wood, has been excelling of late, with Forest sat third in the Premier League table after 10 games.

“Elliot was very sad for us because he is a player that we loved, both on and off the pitch," Howe said of selling the local lad over the summer. "Everyone here at Newcastle has worked so hard to develop him and his talents.

“And through PSR really we have had to, the club has been forced into a decision through no fault of his own and I just, yeah, didn’t sit comfortably with me, but it was almost something we had to do."