BRUCE ON POINT
Averages keep Steve safe
STEVE BRUCE insists Newcastle are on track to avoid relegation despite fearing Jamaal Lascelles is out for the season.
The United boss says his side have gathered a point a game in the last 10, which he believes will be good enough to preserve their top-flight status.
Skipper Lascelles suffered a suspected stress fracture against Spurs last Sunday and is in a protective boot. It’s a big blow for the relegation strugglers who face a gritty clash at Burnley tomorrow.
However, Bruce (right) will welcome 10-goal star striker Callum Wilson back to the squad.
Bruce said: “We have lost the captain. It is not looking so good at the moment. He will have more scans. It is a stress fracture, maybe, we think.
“He’ll be in a boot for a couple of weeks. I hope it is not the end of the season for him, but it could be.”
Bruce has been encouraged by his side’s performance in drawing with Spurs and said: “The last 10 games we have taken something like 10 points.
“It is not mouthwatering but usually it is enough. Yes, we are up against it. We understand the severity of the situation.
“We are not alone in the bottom half with inconsistency. We have to take it into Burnley with the same attitude and desire of the Spurs game.”
Bruce faces a key dilemma over whether to start both Wilson and Allan Saint-maximin.
He added: “That is the big decision, mindful they are muscle injuries, groin and a hamstring. Then again we also only have six weeks of the season left. “It has been great to see them bounding around the training ground. Even top teams without their best players, it becomes a struggle.”
Newcastle were in the bottom three when Aleksandar Mitrovic put Fulham ahead at Aston Villa last Sunday. Bruce joked: “My wife made Sunday lunch and Mitro scored. By the time I was eating my apple pie and custard, Fulham were 3-1 down!”
Saint-maximin has donated 60 care packages to staff at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
He wrote a message saying: “To our real heroes, game after game I am warmly applauded by people from Newcastle. But this time I wanted to be the one who’s applauding, I wanted to applaud you, the best team of my city, the hospital medical staff of Newcastle!”