Anthony Elanga is making good progress after seeing a specialist on a troublesome thigh injury that has kept him out for over a month. The 24-year-old is expected to return in December, with head coach Matthias Jaissle hopeful he could be back even earlier.
Last seen in action during the 1-0 win over Millwall in the Carabao Cup in early September, there were fears that Elanga could be a long-term absentee. The 24-year-old underwent an MRI scan last month and has been spotted in the gym at the KNOX in recent weeks ahead of what Jaissle hopes will be a return to the training field.
International break provides boost
Elanga was significantly helped by the extended international break, during which he was automatically ruled out of Sweden's UEFA Nations League autumn series. When asked how Elanga was doing and whether the pause in fixtures had allowed Jaissle to check in on the former Nottingham Forest and Manchester United star, the head coach told Chronicle Live: "Yeah, I had good conversations with him. He's doing well, he's progressing.
"As you probably know, it was a tough injury, a longer one, but he has a brilliant mentality, a real professional, so hopefully he can come back even a bit earlier than expected."
Jaissle's earlier comments on injury
When discussing Elanga's injury back on September 21, Jaissle had told reporters: "Hopefully it is not too bad but we are taking it step by step. We are counting on the medical department to bring him back as soon as possible.
"We are being smart in the process, it is a long season so we don't want to hurry up too much. But also I want to have him back as soon as possible."
Elanga upbeat after award win
A more upbeat Elanga spoke after getting news on his injury when picking up an award for Guinness Goal of the Month award for August 2026 for his stunning strike at Tottenham Hotspur. The Sweden ace said then: "It means a lot to get trophies like this, and on top of that, to get the win was even better.
"With those trophies, we just keep on stacking them up and we hope for more. I'm really, really grateful and hungry as well. I'm grateful to God because I've worked hard to get into opportunities like that and get into moments like that.
"We know we're not the finished article yet, and we can always improve and get better, so we hope for more moments like this."
Newcastle will hope to get Elanga back and running before Christmas as he looks to add to his two-goal haul from the start of the season. He is expected to be back in December but Jaissle feels it could be back before the festive period kicks in.
