Newcastle boss Bruce: We need to keep Wilson fit through the season | OneFootball

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce says they must be careful with Callum Wilson's fitness.

Handed the number nine shirt – worn so famously by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer in the past – over the summer, the England international will once again provide the focal point for the Magpies with Bruce acutely aware of his importance to the team.

Bruce said: “He scored 12 goals in something like 24, 26 appearances – something like that.

“By those statistics alone, you can see how crucial he is, so it's vitally important that he stays well, he stays fit. That's the big thing because from last Christmas, he's had two or three hamstrings, which is a concern.

“He's worked tirelessly through the summer to make sure that they're strengthened, and when you're explosive like he is, of course you always prone to it – (Allan) Saint-Maximin is the same.

“He's crucial to us. We need our big players available. For too long last year we didn't have them and it's fair to say we struggled without them.

“We're not alone. Even the huge, big, big clubs, when you miss your biggest and best players, it becomes a struggle."