Steve Bruce claims he tried to sign Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle during his Championship stints with Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Hull.
The 28-year-old’s record in the second tier is as good as it gets, with him involved in 75 Championship goals in his last 100 appearances (59 goals and 16 assists), although his recent injury record has hampered any progress this season.
Here’s what the NUFC head coach had to say about the striker, suggesting once again that he’ll be firmly in his plans once he’s fully fit:
“I said to the lad, when all the talk of him moving was whirring away, that I’d tried to buy him.
“I’d never been able to afford him.
“But I tried to take him wherever I have gone in the Championship.”
It’s easy to see why Bruce wanted Gayle during his recent stints in the Championship, although his injury record has completely hampered his season so far as a mystery calf injury continues to get no better.
He suffered a calf injury during our pre-season training camp in China, and it seems he’s STILL not shrugged it off, with Bruce confirming once again this week that it’s ‘no better’.
As a result, the Chronicle claim that he’ll now have a period of complete rest in a bid to free him from injury – although that suggests he won’t be back in action any time soon!
