Steve Bruce says Andy Carroll has already helped Newcastle without even playing

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Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has been keen to praise the impact of summer signing Andy Carroll around the club before he has even played a minute this season.

As per the Sun, Bruce said that Carroll has been helping the club’s younger players and having a positive effect after his deadline day free transfer.

Bruce said: “You can already see players attracted to him. They all want to be around him. He is the local hero and he knows what it means to play for the club.

“When I brought him here I asked him, ‘Can you be the elder statesman for me? Can you help me with the strikers?’. We had a striker meeting and he was right in there giving his opinion. He has life experience now. He has been there, done it and worn the t-shirt.”

TBR’s View – The proof will be in the pudding when Carroll takes to the pitch

Carroll has been making all the right noises since his return to Newcastle – about how he’s grown up, getting fit, ready to help his hometown club and all of that.

In truth, he needs to be saying those things to try and carve out a career for himself again in the Premier League because nobody else would touch him with a barge pole.

That’s because his fitness cannot be trusted, his style of football is becoming outdated and his attitude has come into question in the past.

If he can get fit and stay fit – and that’s a huge if based on recent seasons – Newcastle may have a decent deal on their hands. But until he’s able to get out on the grass week in and week out, the jury will rightly remain out, no matter how many strikers’ meetings he gives his opinion in.