2019/20 Newcastle United Review: Andy Carroll

After leaving the club as a star striker years ago, Andy Carroll came back to Newcastle United as a veteran backup.

As is the case for most clubs, former Newcastle United players are often linked to making triumphant returns to their former side. Those rumors became a reality for Andy Carroll as the striker came back to Tyneside after stints with Liverpool and West Ham United. But, this time around, he was largely relegated to a substitute role.

2019-20 EPL stats: 19 appearances, zero goals, four assists, 20 headed clearances

Expert Breakdown

Durim Halimi: Andy Carroll, along with Yoshinori Muto, failed to score a single goal this season, which is disappointing, but it was not due to poor work ethic. The former West Ham striker did everything right except find the back of the net.

His four assists all contributed to critical goals in four different games, he won every aerial battle across the pitch, and his hold up play was phenomenal.

Heading into next season, Steve Bruce needs to find a way to keep Carroll in the final third to improve his odds of scoring some goals. It would also be nice to see the big man fit for most of the season as injuries have kept him on the sidelines for long stretches of the season.

Carson A. Merk: As a fellow “man-bun man” myself, I always root for success for Andy Carroll. But, I did not have high expectations for his return to Newcastle. He’s always hurt, he’s super slow, etc. While those facts proved to be true again this season, he actually had a nice impact on the club.

Carroll wins, or nearly wins, every ball that is played to him in the air and that was a valuable asset when he was playing isolated as the lone striker. His work rate on and off the ball was always high during his shifts on the pitch, no matter if his touch and skill on the ball matched it.

But, he wasn’t just a big body that worked hard. Carroll’s four assists tied for a club-high with Allan Saint-Maximin, who had a lot more chances than big Andy did. He’s back for another season and I think he can continue to play this role for the Magpies.