Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll is recovering from injury well and could return for the club’s clash against Liverpool after the international break, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper claim on their website that the former West Ham man, who joined the Magpies on a free transfer over the summer, has had no issues with his ankle on his return to full training, having suffered adverse effects when making a comeback in the past.
With the Premier League currently taking a two week break from action due to international fixtures, the newspaper’s live blog (04/09, 19:05) claims that the striker can realistically look at returning to action for the first game back, a trip to former club Liverpool.
Opinion
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce must know that his main problems lie in a lack of cutting edge up front and what a difference Carroll could make. The Magpies’ last game against Watford highlighted the deficiencies they have in attack, relying on defender Fabian Schar to stick the ball in the back of the net. Carroll, with his height and power, might be a little bit old school but he can certainly make a difference, even if it means coming off the bench to rough up defenders. Opposition players will hate playing against a fully fit Carroll as he is difficult to mark and more often than not wins his headers. With the potential of flick-ons from long balls up front and goal-scoring opportunities from crosses into the box, he could be a game-changer for Bruce. No one is expecting Newcastle to get anything out of a trip to Anfield and so that lack of pressure could make it the perfect place for Carroll to make his long-awaited comeback in black and white.
