ANDY CARROLL will be on the substitutes’ bench for Newcastle United this afternoon, with Steve Bruce admitting it is time to ‘release the shackles’ to provide a true test of the striker’s fitness.

Carroll’s last competitive outing came he was part of a West Ham United side that lost at Manchester City at the end of February, and since then, the 30-year-old has undergone two bouts of surgery to repair a recurring ankle problem.

Having held a debrief with his London-based specialist at the end of last week, Carroll received the green light to step up his training programme and completed his first full-contact session with the rest of Newcastle’s senior squad on Monday.

He has come through the rest of the week’s training schedule unscathed, and while he will not be considered for a starting spot as Newcastle prepare to entertain Brighton in this afternoon’s televised tea-time kick-off, he will be named on the bench.

He is likely to kick-start his second spell as a Magpies player at some stage in the second half, and while Bruce intends to continue to tread carefully, the Newcastle boss admits Carroll has reached a point where he needs to test himself in a match environment.

“We’ve decided that there’s no more cotton wool,” said Bruce, who has also welcomed Allan Saint-Maximin and DeAndre Yedlin back from injury this week. “There comes a stage in rehab where you’ve done all the running and fitness stuff. This is as good as it’s going to get, so you have to join in with everything.

“We’d got to a stage where he’d done enough straight-line running and rehabilitation. It then became about joining in, people tackling, twisting and turning. He’s come through all of that this week, so let’s hope his ankle stays well.

“We’ll continue to take it step by step, but can we get him through 20 minutes or maybe half-an-hour? Let’s see how his ankle is after that. He’s done everything he can in training, so it’s time to take that next step.”

When the opportunity of signing Carroll on what is effectively a pay-as-you-play basis arose in the summer, Bruce jumped at the chance of adding the Gateshead-born striker to his squad.

The financial risks of the deal are minimal, but rather than dwelling on any potential negatives, Bruce was enthused by the possibility of what Carroll could offer when he discussed the situation with the rest of his coaching team.

Off the pitch, the Geordie has already proved a useful asset. He has spoke to Newcastle’s younger players about the challenges of wearing the black-and-white shirt, and has worked with Joelinton to help the Brazilian settle into life in the Premier League.

It is on the field where Bruce wants to see him having his maximum impact though, and having likened Carroll to another former Newcastle forward, Duncan Ferguson, the Magpies manager reminisced about a day when he was a thorn in his side.

Back in 2010, Bruce’s Sunderland were humiliated as they crashed to a 5-1 derby defeat at St James’ Park. Kevin Nolan’s hat-trick ensured he hogged the headlines, but Carroll was the architect of the win as he outmuscled Titus Bramble with contemptuous ease.

“What a day that was, my darkest hour,” said Bruce. “He was unplayable that day. He absolutely bullied us from start to finish and when he's like that, he’s just about unplayable. At that time, he was as good as you’d get. You look at the big, powerful number nines. Did he go for a British record fee? Well, that says it all.”

Provided he stays fit, it will be interesting to see where Carroll fits into the team given the presence of Joelinton, who joined Newcastle this summer in a club-record £40m move.

He is hardly an identical player to Carroll, but Joelinton shares similar attributes as a leader of the line who is happy playing with his back to goal.

Bruce is adamant the strikers could play together, and also sees scope to field a front three, with Carroll playing through the middle and Joelinton pulling to the left-hand side.

“Could you pair them together? Why not?” he said. “Joelinton played a lot of his games towards the left when he was at Hoffenheim. I saw Hoffenheim against Manchester City in the Champions League last season, and Jo played towards the left.

“A lot of teams now play with three out-and-out forwards. (Leroy) Sane and (Mo) Salah don't play as wingers, do they? They're always in the pitch. So, why not?”

Saint-Maximin’s return is another boost, with the winger having shaken off the recurring hamstring problem that forced his early retirement from last month’s 1-0 victory at Tottenham.

“You’re always disappointed when it’s a recurrence,” said Bruce. “He’s all about pace and power, but even then, he trained all week (before the Spurs game). The difficulty - I always say this to a player - is that in the summer we have six weeks to get the players fit. You don’t have that in a season, so it’s difficult to replicate.

“He’s certainly a character. He is what you see on the pitch – he’s that off it too. He wants to entertain. We all want him on the pitch and playing well. He’s got that ability to get people off their seats and do something a bit different. I’m sure I’ll have many awkward nights with him, but we’re just concentrating about getting him back on the pitch.”

Newcastle (probable, 3-4-2-1): Dubravka; Schar, Lascelles, Dummett; Krafth, Hayden, Shelvey, Willems; Almiron, Saint-Maximin; Joelinton.