Steve Bruce reveals team selection dilemma for Manchester United

Newcastle United take on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day and Everton at St James’s Park on December 28.

Carroll has started three of the club’s last four Premier League games – and Bruce can’t see him starting both festive fixtures.

Bruce, however, knows that Carroll – who re-joined his boyhood club in the summer as a free agent – will want to start both games, having fully recovered from ankle surgery he had late last season while at West Ham United.

“I’ve got to try to box clever,” said head coach Bruce. “We’ll see how Andy is. He wants to play every week, but it would be unrealistic of me to think Andy could play two games in 48 hours. However, knowing the way he is at the moment, he’ll want to. We’ll see how he is.”