OPINION
It would be fair to say that Andy Carroll has failed to live up to the hype he had when he left Newcastle United to join Liverpool.
The colossal forward left St James’ Park back in 2011 and has had a constant stream of injuries which has led to his goalscoring record taking a hit and also halted his international career with England.
Carroll’s injury page on Transfermarkt is covered with numerous different setbacks, having suffered from 17 different injuries in the past 10 years.
That didn’t put Steve Bruce off of the idea of securing the 30-year-old on a free transfer on deadline day, with Carroll returning to his boyhood club, eight years after he first left.
Carroll was the second striker signed by Bruce, with Newcastle securing the club-record signing of Brazilian forward Joelinton.
A recent report from the Chronicle has outlined how Newcastle have appointed Carroll as a mentor for Joelinton, and Bruce must surely be having a laugh – as having a striker who failed to score a league goal last season as a mentor makes zero sense.
Joelinton has already more than proved that he is capable of performing at an English side, with the young striker leading the line with conviction, using his physicality to great effect against the likes of Hibernian.
When you compare Joelinton to Carroll last season via WhoScored, it is hard to make a comparison between the two due to the lack of a presence highlighted by the Englishman.
You have to take into consideration the fact that Carroll played considerably less football last season, but the truth is, he endured a poor campaign in front of goal and in general.
Joelinton highlighted his power consistently, averaging more shots, key passes, and completed more dribbles. The 22-year-old also drew more fouls and took fewer bad touches than Carroll.
To have a striker who was involved in zero goals last season in the league as your mentor is not giving Joelinton much of a chance to succeed, and Bruce must be kidding himself if he thinks this is a good move.
