Allan Saint-Maximin has hailed Elliot Anderson as a 'great young player' after the Newcastle United youngster was called up to the first team.
Just a day after playing for the under-21s against Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Trophy, Anderson was brought in to the first-team squad to sample life on an away trip with the senior set-up last month.
The 17-year-old was the only youngster named on a strong bench for the Magpies' Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Newport County alongside Callum Wilson, Joelinton, Isaac Hayden, Jeff Hendrick, Karl Darlow and Fabian Schar.
Anderson also trained with the first team the next day and, taking to Instagram, Saint-Maximin posted a photograph of the pair walking out to the training pitches with the caption: 'Great young player'.
The teenage midfielder, who grew up watching Hatem Ben Arfa et al from the top of Level 7 at St James' Park, posted fist bump and love heart emojis in response.
Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Federico Fernandez, Jamal Lewis, Paul Dummett, Sean Longstaff, Jamaal Lascelles, Mark Gillespie and Steve Harper, the club's first-team coach, were among the 45,500 people who liked Saint-Maximin's post.
Harper has acted as a conduit between the first-team set-up and the under-23s since returning to Newcastle last year and has been an important figure for the club's young players.
Given the short turnaround between games, a number of youngsters trained with the first team during Project Restart and Kell Watts, Jack Young and Tom Allan were included in match day squads at various points for the final few games of the campaign last season.
