"Ex-Man Utd Star, 23, Craves Support as £55m Transfer Becomes a Struggle"

ANTHONY ELANGA needs to feel the “love” from the Toon Army to finally shine in Black and White.

That is the message from , who shelled out £55m to Nottingham Forest to make the winger ’s joint-third most expensive signing last summer.

Eddie Howe expects Anthony Elanga to have a huge impact at Newcastle UnitedCredit: Getty

, 23, has flopped so far at St. James’ with a return of one assist and no goals in the Premier League as he struggles to replicate the form he showed at the City Ground and first club Manchester United.

His introduction off the bench in midweek, after a three-week lay-off with a knee injury, in the was met by some groans from the Mags faithful.

But Howe is adamant that his speedster Swede just needs to “feel safe and free” to thrive.

Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Wolves, he said: “It’s a difficult one because he comes on very late in the game, he’s just come back from an injury so he hasn’t trained regularly and every time you step on the pitch you get judged straight away.

“He did a couple of really nice things. The margins between success and failure are always so small. Anthony will be fine. He’s an incredible professional.

“My big wish is that he plays in an environment where he feels safe and free to express himself. There’s no denying the qualities he brings to the team. He’ll need a bit of time to find his best form but I’m confident he’ll get there.

“It’s my message to love and enjoy the players we have and try to help them find their best form. We’ve seen players who have taken time to find their best rhythm, Anthony Gordon, Joelinton. We see Anthony every day and see his qualities. He’s a unique player, there’s not many like him.

“He {Elanga] has serious qualities that we need. Let’s bring love to all our players.”

Meanwhile, Fabian Schar faces a fight for his Newcastle future after undergoing surgery.

The Swiss star, 34, suffered ankle ligament damage in last week’s 4-3 win over Leeds United.

Schar is set to become a free agent in June once his Toon deal expires and Howe has confirmed he is unlikely to be back fit until the end of April.

He said: “He had a successful surgery yesterday which is great news. Everything went according to plan.

“It’s difficult to give a definitive but I think around three months out will be the diagnosis we’ll work towards. If it’s any quicker then great, but we need to give Fabian time to recover.”

Howe is currently in the midst of a defensive crisis after Tino Livramento picked up a hamstring injury that will sideline him for eight weeks.

He joins fellow defenders Emil Krafth, Jamal Lascelles and Dan Burn, who suffered a punctured and broken rib in last month’s derby defeat at Sunderland.

The giant Geordie defender is, however, back running as he closes in on a comeback and there was further good news on the potential return of forward Will Osula (ankle).

Howe said: “They’re both getting closer. Will hopefully will be training imminently, and then we’ll of course have to make a decision on when we can involve him in the match day squad.

“With Dan, he’s improving, he’s running, which is the really good thing. His fitness will be okay, that won’t be an issue. It’ll just be managing the pain of his injury. So it’s not like he’s been sort of rested and not on the grass.

“I’ve seen him, he looks in good shape, it’s just the pain, I think the top-end pain when he’s fully sprinting. So hopefully not long.”

That leaves Howe with just four senior fit defenders – Kieran Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall – at his disposal for the trip to Wolves on Sunday.

Meanwhile, winger Jacob Murphy came off in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup first leg semi-final defeat at home to Manchester City with a hamstring complaint that has troubled him throughout the festive period.

And even though a scan showed there was no damage, Howe ruled him out of Sunday’s clash at Molineux.

Winger Jacob Murphy is out of the trip to WolvesCredit: Getty

He said: “Jacob’s had another scan and again nothing showing, so it’s a strange one. But of course you have to go on the symptoms and how the player feels.

“I’m sure that’ll mean probably a period where Jacob has to come out, for how long I don’t know at this moment in time. But we’re very thankful that it’s not a serious problem and hopefully one we can overcome very quickly.

“Will’s situation was different. But yes, he’s had a bit of time out, he’s had to start from zero where he had a period of rest and now we’re building him back up, but he’s very close to hopefully returning to training and then being ready to play.”

On the prospect of bringing in a new defender this month, Howe said: “Possibly. Of course, hopefully we have Dan coming back which will be a big boost for us in the not too distant future but then we have to make a decision with the amount of games we have to come.

“What’s the likelihood of us picking up more injuries in those positions. Hopefully that’s not something we have to deal with but it’s very difficult to predict. We have to be ready to act and I know there’s a lot of work being done in that case.”