Steve Bruce suggested that Andy Carroll could be available to feature for Newcastle United by the time September hits.
The Magpies’ boss admitted that he is hopeful the injury-prone forward can recover from his latest setback in time to feature before the end of August.
Carroll passed his medical at St James’ Park with no issues, and Bruce believed that a move for the former West Ham man was worth the gamble ahead of the new Premier League season.
Bruce told NUFC TV, as quoted by the Chronicle: “We understand he won’t available for two or three weeks. But we felt in the long-term it’s worth the gamble.”
“There’s not many like Andy when he’s fit, let’s hope he can get back fit as soon as possible.”
The 30-year-old returned to the North East club after leaving in 2011 and completing spells at fellow Premier League club’s Liverpool and West Ham.
OPINION
When you sign a player such as Carroll, you know exactly what you’re going to get in many aspects. On one hand, you will see the physicality and presence in the box which saw the colossal forward become an England international, but on the other hand, you will no likely be disappointed when he no doubt gets another injury. His recent playing time has been seriously hampered by his injury record – having missed 345 days of action since the beginning of 2018, subsequently missing 37 games through two separate Ankle surgeries [Transfermarkt]. Should Bruce be able to keep Carroll fit and firing throughout the Premier League, he will always have an option off the bench to come on and change a game no matter the situation. Carroll showed glimpses of that during his stint with West Ham, especially the game against Crystal Palace a couple of seasons ago when he scored an audacious overhead kick. Newcastle will be hoping their faith in the 30-year-old will be repaid by him replicating his form from his first stint with the club, where he scored 33 goals in 90 appearances, an impressive feat when you notice he only managed 34 goals in 142 games at the Hammers [Transfermarkt]. Bruce will be hoping a fully fit Carroll can be a game-changer when called upon this season, with the key to his success being keeping the forward fit enough throughout the campaign.
