Rob Elliot has not given hope on a return to action for Newcastle United, he told the Newcastle Chronicle.
In his four year spell on Tyneside, the goalkeeper has made just 16 appearances since joining the club from Charlton, but Elliot is still waiting for the opportunity to prove his worth in the Newcastle side.
Can Elliot fill the void?
Despite starting the season as third choice at St James' Park, Elliot is now back into contention for first-team action after an injuries to Karl Darlow and Tim Krul, the latter has been ruled out until the end of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
“It’s just, as always, a case of being patient and trying to do well when you get an opportunity," Elliot told the Newcastle Chronicle. He believes it is hard to "judge what the future’s doing", and it is important to "do your best every day". He added, "I love being up here - you can’t ask for a bigger football club."
After the injury setback to Darlow and Krul, Elliot has found himself just a step away from a long-awaited return to Premier League action.
Krul will be a massive miss
The 29-year-old found himself in a similar situation last season, when an injury to Newcastle's number one goalkeeper, Krul, saw him make the step-up to the starting eleven. However, his spell in-between the sticks was cut short due to a hamstring injury, which the Irishman has only just overcome.
He said: “It was an unfortunate injury. The (under-21 game) was my first full 90 minutes since last December." Elliot admitted it has been a "tough few months" personally, but recognised "that’s football sometimes". The shot-stopper cited the "highs to lows and vice-versa", but remained positive: "In football, as long as you give everything you can every day that’s all that can be asked of you."
He concluded by saying, "You just hope for the best and see what happens. You just sort of take each day as it comes."