Steve Bruce is a man of many, many talents, this much cannot be denied. Having already revolutionised the careers of Miguel Almiron, Alan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton by playing them outside of their natural positions, the Newcastle boss could be looking to rejuvenate Andy Carroll by giving him a new role.
In his pre-match press conference yesterday, Steve Bruce announced that he feels the former number nine would have made a “world class centre half”, before going on to say “Defensively he would have made an absolutely world-class centre-half back in my day because he just goes and heads it and has that ability, when he is around your 18-yard box he just heads it clear. “
Andy Carroll done as a striker?
Could we be looking at the move that could save Andy Carroll’s career? He certainly has the build and physicality for the role, the lesser tole on his legs would help prolong his career, plus with the goalscoring prowess of our backline this season, surely he would regain the prolific touch that saw him run rampant over the league back in the 2010/11 season.
Unfortunately however, it seems as though this isn’t going to be the case. Bruce went on to praise Carroll for his influence in the game on Thursday, stating that the toughest challenge his team face with the Geordie this season isn’t deciding where he is best suited on the pitch, but simply keeping him fit. Something Carroll has struggled with continuously over the past number of years.
As interesting as it would be to see big Andy Carroll running the show from the heart of defence, I don’t think it’s something we’ll be seeing anytime soon, we’ll just have to keep an eye out and see if he starts dropping further back during games.
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