Steve Bruce reveals how Andy Carroll is already having an impact – in the canteen

The striker rejoined his boyhood club as a free agent on transfer deadline day.

Gatshead-born Carroll – who had ankle surgery late last season – is still “four or five weeks” away from a comeback.

However, the 30-year-old is already making a contribution.

Asked about the influence of Carroll, head coach Steve Bruce said: “It’s only been a week, of course, since he walked through the door, but you can just see. The other day, for example, we had a meeting with the strikers, and he's in there giving his opinion in the canteen.

“They all want to be round him. They want to feed off his experience and his know how, and also of what Newcastle is about, I'm sure.

“All of those experiences can only be a positive, and of course the biggest positive of all is when you seen him out on the training ground, because if we can get the lad fit, we know we have got a smashing player as well.”

Carroll is slowly stepping up his workload on the training pitches.

“He's doing a bit of running on the grass,” said Bruce. “We still think he is gong to be at least four, five weeks away. The big thing with Andy is not to put a timescale on him. He'll be ready and fit when he is and if you try to put timescales on it, it disappoints him and disappoints everybody else.”