AFTER spending the best part of August back on his native Tyneside working on his fitness, Andy Carroll will spend the next fortnight looking to step up his efforts to make his second debut for his beloved Newcastle United this month.
The 30-year-old, who averaged around ten starts a season during six years at West Ham in the Premier League, has not played since February but is eager to make the most of his big chance back at St James’ Park.
Carroll was handed an incentivised one-year deal to see if he can prove his fitness at Newcastle and he has worked hard since joining last month to edge closer to a first team appearance.
Steve Bruce, the head coach, has given him a couple of opportunities to test himself on the training ground but the medical staff are reluctant to push him too hard amid fears he will suffer a negative reaction.
But Bruce, whose side face Carroll’s old club Liverpool at Anfield on September 14, is still not putting a timescale on when the big striker will return to action – yet is keeping his fingers crossed that it will be sooner rather than later.
“Andy will be ongoing,” said Bruce. “The basics with Andy is that is his ankle and he’s had a re-operation on his ankle. Touch wood at the minute he’s had no reaction to any physical work he’s done, which he has done in the past.
“In other words he’s been training out there and his ankle hasn’t reacted to it and in the past it has. Let’s hope he can get fit. He’s doing everything he possibly can. It should be a bit of a handful, him and Joelinton.”