Callum Wilson was ‘upset’ at being hauled off for the final 10 minutes our 2-1 win against Everton, according to Steve Bruce.
The striker was on a hat-trick, but Bruce subbed him so that Andy Carroll could make his customary late appearance and defend our lead as Everton threw the kitchen sink at us late on.
Bruce spoke to the press after the game and revealed that Wilson was not happy to come off, but he praised the player for the impact he’s made since his arrival.
Here is what he said in full:
“He got upset that I took him off with five minutes to go!
“He’s crucial to us. He’s given us that cutting edge which a goalscorer has.
“To have six already matches our top scorer last year, I think.
“You can imagine what kind of lift he’s given to everybody.”
Another player who didn’t look happy to come off was Allan Saint-Maximin, with him struggling to see out the game after taking a whack in the first half.
Bruce has explained that the Frenchman made way for Ryan Fraser due to a ‘dead leg’, which turned out to be a good thing in the end as the Scot set up Wilson for the second goal!
“He’s took a knock, but we expect him to be OK.
“Thankfully it’s just a dead leg, so it’s a kick.
“We expect him to make a recovery.”
The exciting winger was surprisingly below par yesterday afternoon and missed a glorious chance in the first half to put us one-nil up – drawing a fantastic save from debutant Robin Olsen.
That said, he’s a key player and could be key to our success on the counter ahead of Friday’s trip to Southampton, with him scoring the winner in our win at St Mary’s last season.
Let’s hope he shrugs off that dead leg and is fit to start later this week!
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