Steve Bruce has confirmed that Sunday’s clash with Southampton might have come too early for Newcastle United forward Andy Carroll.
The Magpies’ boss claimed he hasn’t decided whether or not the summer signing can start consecutive Premier League games, questioning whether it might be too much of an ask or not.
It was shared that Newcastle will track the progress of Carroll over the weekend, and see how he is feeling on the morning of the clash at St James’ Park on Sunday.
“I’ve not even decided that yet, but we’ll come to Sunday and see how he is,” said Bruce via the Shields Gazette.
“We’ll see how he recovers and how he is Saturday. That might be asking too much, but I’ll see how he is.
“He can be hugely important.”
Carroll started the 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Thursday, claiming an assist for Jonjo Shelvey’s strike whilst completing 72 minutes at Brammall Lane.
OPINION
Carroll proved in the win over Sheffield United that he can be a massive asset to the Magpies this season. There is no hiding from the fact that Newcastle and Joelinton were struggling in the final third to make any sort of impact. The Brazilian had only scored once and there was an air of disappointment creeping in around the club. Carroll came in and instantly changed that – causing mayhem for the Blades’ defence. The 30-year-old won nine aerial duels in his 72 minutes on the pitch according to WhoScored – something Joelinton has only managed to match twice in his 15 appearances for the club. Should Carroll be fit to feature against Southampton, Bruce should not think twice before throwing him into the action once again. It may be a lot to ask given that he hasn’t started a run of fixtures in the Premier League for quite some time, but players such as Allan Saint-Maximin thrived in-and-around the target man – something Bruce will have loved watching.
