In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, has claimed that the way Steve Bruce is handling Andy Carroll's situation and the minutes he is giving him is being done to potentially just annoy the academy graduate.

Since joining Newcastle as a free agent in 2019, Carroll has been handed just eight league starts, four in each season thus far. This had yielded a reward of one goal and four assists across 35 Premier League games.

Carroll made his name at Newcastle during the 2009/10 Championship season under Chris Hughton when he scored 17 times in 39 appearances, leading the line at just 20-years-old as the Magpies won promotion straight back to the Premier League.

Speaking on why he can't understand Steve Bruce's substations, especially when they involve Andy Carroll, Howey told FFC:

"I don't know why they play without a striker and I can't understand what the point is in bringing Andy Carroll on for 30 seconds.

"What's the point? Unless Bruce has done it to annoy him? If that's the case, then he's done a good job because it would annoy me."

Carroll got his first goal since returning to Newcastle at the end of last year when the Magpies were beaten 3-1 by Leicester City when he volleyed home in added time.

This season the £75,000 per week striker has been afforded just 385 minutes and has not featured from the start even when Callum Wilson has been sidelined.