Andy Carroll is yet to make his second Newcastle debut, but he’s still managing to have an impact at the club despite his lack of fitness.
Ever since he re-joined the club, Steve Bruce has hyped his new striker to the moon and back. But with his second debut still a few weeks away, the local lad is influencing things in a different way.
“The other day we had a meeting with the strikers and he [Carroll] had his say,” Bruce told the Chronicle.
“The other players in the canteen all want to be around him. They are looking to feed off his experience.
“He has know-how and knows exactly what Newcastle is about. All of that can only be a positive.
“The biggest positive of all is seeing him back on the training ground because if we can get the lad fit we know he is a smashing player as well.”
We all want to see Carroll back on the pitch at St James’ Park, but it’s great to hear that he’s finding other ways to help the team in the meantime.
Bruce has a very young squad, so being able to lean on Carroll’s experience is a great asset. He’s been there and done it. He knows what it’s like to score goals for Newcastle United. He knows the pressure of wearing the number nine shirt.
Our attack has let us down in years gone by. Last year, we relied heavily on Salomon Rondon, who led the line expertly on his own. There is real pressure on Joelinton to deliver in Rondon’s absence, so getting some advice from a player like Carroll can only help.
It shows how professional Carroll is in his older age. He’s helping the players who are ahead of him in the pecking order right now, the players who could stop him earning more money on his incentive based contract.
Hopefully Carroll’s words of wisdom pay dividends soon, and Joelinton powers home a header against Norwich.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
