Anthony Elanga has quickly established himself as an important part of Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle United attack, scoring twice across the club’s opening three Premier League matches of the season.
That’s why Newcastle will surely miss the Sweden international dearly as he remains sidelined for a significant period of time going forward.
Elanga was surprisingly absent from the squad for Monday’s 4-1 defeat at Leeds United, with Jaissle revealing just before kickoff that the injury could potentially
prove long-term.
“It could be long-term,” Jaissle told Sky Sports. “He will get another MRI next week and we will see.”
Newcastle’s head coach remained concerned when discussing Elanga’s condition after the final whistle at Elland Road.
“With Anthony Elanga, it’s obvious that he struggles with an injury,” Jaissle said. “We need to further investigate how serious it is. But at the moment it doesn’t look that good.”
There is no confirmed timeframe for Elanga’s recovery yet, and we’re about to embark on a three-week international break, but that might not be enough for the Swede to fully recover in time for when the Magpies return to action. Newcastle is still waiting for further examinations, including an additional MRI next week, before determining the full extent of the problem.
Elanga has scored two goals in Newcastle’s first three Premier League games, establishing himself as a significant attacking threat following his summer arrival. Losing him for an extended period would leave Jaissle without one of his most productive attackers during the early stages of the season, and his No. 1 right winger, possibly pushing Jacob Murphy into a starting role while Elanga’s out.
When Jaissle was asked after the Leeds defeat whether any of Newcastle’s injured players could recover in time for the weekend, the head coach admitted: “It doesn’t look good at the moment.”
How big a loss would Elanga be if the MRI confirms a long-term absence, and should Jacob Murphy be the one replacing him in Jaissle’s XI? Let us know in the comments below.
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