Newcastle have suffered a blow before their Premier League clash against Leicester City, with Steve Bruce revealing that 18-year-old Elliot Anderson is set to miss out.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Foxes, the Newcastle manager said: "He picked up a knock in the last game he played and it’s set him back a little bit. We’re not sure how bad it is but it’s a hip problem. He’s going to be struggling for the next couple of weeks.

"We’re delighted with his progress – he’s only 18 – and he’s got a big future, we hope, as long as he keeps his head down and keeps working well. But, as I said, he’ll be struggling a bit for the next couple of weeks I would have thought."

The news came just after Bruce had admitted that Anderson had a good chance of featuring for the first team in the Premier League before the end of the season, saying: "There’s a chance. We understand that he’s making big strides. And he’s only 18, the boy, but he’s in and around us. Yeah, he might get a chance before the end of the season. I’ll look at it, and what we’ve got. We’ve got our big players fit at the top of the pitch, of course, in Allan, Callum and Joelinton. He’s got fierce competition."

Anderson has played just three minutes of top-flight football all season, coming on in the closing stages of the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal back in mid-January. The lack of game-time for the talented teenager has led to plenty of Newcastle fans on different occasions calling for Bruce to bring him into the first team fold, but that has fallen on deaf ears.

Just recently, Magpies supporters voiced their anger at seeing him fail to even make the matchday squad against West Brom, while after he made his debut for England's under-19s, they urged Bruce to unleash him in the Premier League.

Anderson has already earned rave reviews for his ability and potential, with his former youth coach John Forrest telling The Athletic: "He knew how to dominate a game, which is a natural skill that’s hard to coach. He really was an outstanding footballer. He stood out, even then."

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In fact, several of his former Magpies academy team-mates said he was the "most talented player" in the team, and that he was also "supremely driven".

News of him now missing out on a chance to make a rare appearance in the Premier League will no doubt leave many Newcastle fans gutted - and especially the player himself, having been deprived of what seemed a likely chance to feature in the top flight.

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce must drop this "liability" tonight...