When Andy Carroll resigned for Newcastle United on a free transfer last August, the local hero was handed a heavily incentivized contract that largely depended on the 31-year-old’s notoriously fickle bill of health.
He arrived following a complex ankle surgery that limited his early minutes, but with Joelinton literally struggling to find his feet on Tyneside, a December run of form that saw Carroll register four assists in five games — showcasing his ability to transform into a highly mobile, lusciously maned siege tower when healthy — transported Newcastle fans back to his halcyon days of 2010.
But then a hip flexor injury sidelined him for a month, followed by a setback in training when, according to manager Steve Bruce, “he volleyed a ball and hasn’t been the same since.”
Carroll didn’t appear in Newcastle’s final seven matches before the break, and before COVID-19 hit, it was widely expected that the end of Carroll’s contract in June would spell the end of his St. James’ Park reunion.
But like so many others who’ve had “season-ending injuries” transformed into feel-good stories (see: Marco Asensio’s golazo with his first touch in nearly a year), Carroll returned to action Sunday and will reportedly sign another appearance-related contract for the 2020-21 campaign.
Carroll played 11 minutes today and damn did he look good doing it.
Carroll replaced Joelinton, who managed to score his first Premier League goal in 301 days (although his miss in the first half was more memorable).
Newcastle are going to take all three points today, and it was iced by this beautiful feed from Miguel Almiron to Joelinton. #MyPLSummer pic.twitter.com/ontqSKqt9s
— #MyPLSummer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 21, 2020
Newcastle ultimately won 3-0 with John Egan’s sending off the the 50th minute proving the turning point.
Five minutes after Egan’s red card, Allan Saint-Maximin opened the scoring after a comical error from Enda Stevens.
Matt Ritchie scored Newcastle’s second in the 69th minute with a thunderbolt from the edge of the area.
Newcastle moves up to 12th in the table on 38 points. Sheffield sits seventh with 44.
