Newcastle United player 'frustrated' after being benched by Steve Bruce

And the Newcastle United striker – who has played just 179 minutes of Premier League football so far this season – didn’t hide his frustration when he was left on the bench by Steve Bruce. Bruce’s side went on to lose 5-2 to Leeds United.

Bruce was asked about Carroll’s lack of game time ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Fulham.

“I’m sure I’ll be using most of them (over the festive period) because of the backlog of what we’ve got,” said United's head coach. “It’s not just Christmas, it’s New Year. The schedule in January’s unbelievable. Andy will be frustrated that he hasn’t seen much lately. He’s just recovering from a calf strain, he’s fine.”

Bruce will be without up to five players against Fulham because of the recent Covid-19 outbreak at the club.

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