Newcastle could be prepared to let Luton target Elliot Anderson leave on loan during transfer window

Newcastle United could be open to letting some of their talented youngsters leave the club on loan during the transfer window, including Elliot Anderson, a player Luton boss Nathan Jones has expressed an interest in.

The 19-year-old has been linked with the Hatters a number of times in the last 12 months, with Jones confirming recently he was a big fan of the Scotland U21 international, enquiring about his availability in the past.

Anderson featured for the Magpies U23s in their 1-0 Premier League 2 Division Two defeat against Nottingham Forest on Monday night, and hasn’t flown out with the senior squad for their training camp in Saudi Arabia this week.

When asked about the chances of the younger players getting moves to broaden their experience of first team football, academy coach Kevin Richardson told Newcastle World: “If they need to stay here and develop more, maybe for next season to go out on loan, or some players have been out on loan, so they know what it’s like.

“If they need that, it’s what is best for them and firstly, what is best for the club.

“I think the experience they have seen and how different it is from this type of football, depending what they want, it might have been more long balls, more physical, as we all know.

“That’s good for their development, so when they come back, if the game is one of those kind of games, they’ve had the experience, they can add that to their game as well as the ability they have already got.”

When asked specifically about Anderson, who has been on the bench in the Premier League this season, having made his top flight bow under Steve Bruce last term, Richardson added: “If that is what it takes, I am sure the new management team, they know that.

“Whether there have been enquiries or not, I don’t know.

“It’s what is best for him, the gaffer might have some plans up his sleeve for Elliot.

“He’s a local kid, we just wish him all the best whatever he does.

“Elliot is a level-headed kid, he’s a good player and he can be creative.

“He is intelligent in the way he plays the game, he finds space and time and we maybe need to use him more in games.

“If he’s not on the ball, he’ll do something off the ball that helps the team or players around him.”

Speaking about the youngster recently, Hatters boss Jones had stated: “We like Elliot and it’s wrong of me to speak on a player from another club, but we’ve been having conversations about Elliot for probably about a year, because we like him as a player.

“He’s one that we’ve been in contact with Newcastle, with Steve Bruce about in the past, so there’s truth in it as we do like him.

“Rather than just be clichéd and say nothing, we like him, we think he’s a good player, so do Newcastle.”