There was some positive news on the injury front for Newcastle this week, with the return to full training for striker Dwight Gayle, meaning he is available for selection by Steve Bruce.
The Chronicle reported Gayle returned from his warm weather camp in Portugal and was able to take part in full training with his teammates, meaning he is in contention for a place in the squad.
While it is great news for the player, who has been dogged by the injury which he has – until now – been unable to shake off, it is unlikely to solve the issues currently facing Bruce.
As fans know, Gayle is a prolific striker at Championship level, and his record in that division speaks for itself, but he struggles in the top tier.
If Bruce is pinning his hopes of a change in fortunes on Gayle, he will surely end up very disappointed.
Gayle was farmed out on loan last season for a reason, and that was because he was not deemed good enough to succeed in the Premier League.
Gayle would not fit into Bruce’s preferred system
As well as doubts over his ability, Gayle would certainly not be suited to playing in the formation that Bruce has used during most games.
He would need to be playing alongside a strike partner, and we all know what happened when Bruce tried that with Yoshinori Muto and Joelinton at Leicester last week.
So it is unlikely there will be another 4-4-2 used in the near future, meaning there will be no room for Gayle in the side.
The best that can be hoped for, is Gayle to stay fit, and secure a move to a Championship club in January, with any funds created from the transfer being used to strengthen the team.
It would be highly unlikely that he would be ready for a place on the bench against Manchester United this weekend anyway.
So if Bruce sees Gayle as the answer to his woes, he is, sadly, asking the wrong question to begin with.
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