Newcastle United winger Anthony Elanga is pressing for a return to the starting XI after impressing from the bench against Aston Villa on Saturday.

The attacker was part of a double substitution by manager Eddie Howe as the Magpies looked to press home their advantage against the 10-men of their opponents at the weekend. Elanga responded to the call, producing a strong performance in the closing stages to help Newcastle make the last 16 of the FA Cup after a 3-1 win.

Attention now turns from Aston Villa to Azerbaijan and Elanga is in the frame for a starting role against Qarabag on Wednesday night.

The £55million man has started to find some form in recent weeks after a slow start to his Newcastle career. He bagged his first goal for the club in the second leg of the semi-final against Manchester City and was excellent in the first hour against Tottenham Hotspur last week.

It was something of a surprise to see him on the bench at Villa Park, as Howe mixed things up and selected Jacob Murphy ahead of...