Anthony Elanga's early season form has meant a difficult transfer decision has been avoided at St James' Park, with the winger making himself a vital player for Matthias Jaissle.
After a disappointing first campaign on Tyneside, the Swedish forward has hit the ground running under the new head coach, scoring in both the opening Premier League games against Liverpool and Tottenham.
An injury has kept him out in recent matches, with the Magpies missing his explosive pace.
Vital player again
However, the fact United are desperate to get him back in the first team is a sign of how far he has come, after failing to make much of an impact following his £55m move from Nottingham Forest.
Former Newcastle winger Chris Waddle knows all about playing in the wide roles at St James' Park and has been pleased to see Elanga show the form everyone knew he was capable of.
The ex-England and Spurs man feels another low key start to the season could have had the club weighing up his future, something which is now firmly off the agenda.
Waddle's verdict
“I think we had high hopes on signing Anthony Elanga as he did well at Forest,” Waddle said. “He played in a different type of system though at Forest, counter-attacking, whereas Newcastle press high and get the ball back and the crowd drive them up the field.
“I think he found that style of play hard, obviously moving and settling in at a new place. He just lost a little bit of confidence, I thought, and that season just passed him by, let's be honest.
“Whether he feels settled now with other players leaving, he's become an important figure now to the club, especially with the quality of who left.
“So it's nice to see him hit the ground running, because if he'd started the season badly, I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd tried to move him on.
“He has put last season behind him, it wasn't a great season for him and let's say so far he has hit the ground running and he does look full of confidence. Let’s hope he’s back in the team after the break.”
Barnes impressing too
It's not just Elanga in the goals, with Harvey Barnes notching three already on the opposite flank, including a stunner in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
The 28-year-old has developed into one of United's most consistent performers, and has so far held off the challenge of Bazoumana Toure to keep his place in the side, with Waddle feeling there is more to come from the former Leicester man.
“Harvey Barnes has always been a good player,” he told Betpack. “With Leicester, he was always a threat down that left-hand side, he scored a load of goals.
“He’s still a big threat and we all know he's got a lot of ability, but unfortunately, he couldn't get a shirt last year because Murphy and Gordon were playing very, very well.
“But he's had his opportunity and he's taken it, let's be honest. He's been probably the most consistent player so far for Newcastle this season. He's always carried a threat, got a goal in him, we know that. But I think he’s going to get better and better.”
