Steve Bruce has arrived in China with his coaching staff and will meet the Newcastle squad on Thursday, according to journalist Pete Graves.
The 58-year-old was appointed as Magpies’ manager on Wednesday after resigning at Sheffield Wednesday and is expected to take charge of his first game against West Ham on Saturday morning.
Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves revealed the news on his personal Twitter account writing, “Steve Bruce and his assistants have arrived in China. They’ll link up with their new squad today and be in charge for Saturday’s game with West Ham.”
Steve Bruce and his assistants have arrived in China. They'll link up with their new squad today and be in charge for Saturday's game with West Ham. Game is live on Sky. #nufc
— Pete Graves (@PeteGravesTV) July 18, 2019
Newcastle and Mike Ashley were reported by the Sun to have paid £4million to secure the services of Bruce and his two assistants, Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence, who have also made the trip to China.
The Magpies will face the Hammers in the third-place playoff of the Premier League Asia Trophy, after being dismantled by Wolves on Wednesday.
OPINION
No, it wasn’t all a dream Newcastle fans, Bruce will actually be on the touchline managing his first game on Saturday. It is more likely to be a nightmare, with the 58-year-old and his coaching staff not exactly holding the best record in the top-flight. Wednesday’s defeat only proved how much work is actually needed at St James’ Park, after an embarrassing collapse from the Newcastle squad. Is Bruce the man to do that? Definitely not. The former Sunderland boss holds the second-worst win percentage in the Premier League and joins Bryan Robson as one of only two managers to have a win percentage under 30% after managing more than 250 top-flight games. The problems run much deeper than just having Bruce at the helm though in the North East, with the club being the only side in the top division to not make a signing and fans planning to boycott their first fixture against Arsenal. This is more of a nightmare than a dream, with all eyes firmly on Saturday, which will give fans a big idea of how Bruce’s methods will rub off of the team.
