Steve Bruce reveals why he left Dwight Gayle on the bench until the 90th minute

Wolverhampton Wanderers came from behind yesterday to hold Newcastle United to a 1-1 draw at St James’s Park yesterday.

Bruce waited until the last minute of normal time before introducing fit-again striker Dwight Gayle, back from a long-term calf injury. Gayle replaced Allan Saint-Maximin. Miguel Almiron played the full 90 minutes.

United’s head coach explained his late substitutions after the draw, which left the club 17th in the Premier League.

“The changes, you can talk about changes, but I always thought if anyone was going to change anything, it as him (Saint-Maximin) or Almiron,” said Bruce, whose side take on West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday. “There’s that conundrum that obviously I faced. Dwight was obviously available, but that’s what we have at the minute.”