Andy Carroll's Dream Of Playing Champions League Football Is Over After 'Failing Tests'

Andy Carroll's proposed move to Club Brugge has fallen through after his physical and mental tests were considered "insufficient" by the Belgian club.

It was reported on Friday that the 33-year-old striker was in discussions with the Jupiler Pro League champions over a short term deal.

But after travelling to Belgium from his honeymoon in Mexico to undergo medical tests, Brugge decided against offering him a trial, according to Antwerp-based publication HLN.

If the deal had gone through, Carroll could have made his Champions League debut for the Belgian champions.

But after a series of physical and medical tests in Brugge, the club found his results "insufficient" on Friday morning, meaning the striker will have to look elsewhere.

Carroll is currently a free agent after being released by West Brom at the end of last season.

The former Newcastle and Liverpool man has struggled for regular first team minutes in recent years, with fitness issues being a key factor behind his lack of consistency.

In fact, since the 2015/16 campaign, the striker has failed to make more than 20 league appearances in a season during spells at West Ham, Newcastle, Reading and West Brom.

He was hopeful of being offered a new deal at the Hawthorns last season.

"I have just got to wait to see what happens," he said back in April. "I would be delighted if I could stay, but I've just got to wait and see."

After an impressive spell with boyhood club Newcastle, Carroll memorably joined Liverpool for a club record fee of £35 million in 2011 but he struggled to hit the ground running.

He scored just 11 goals in 54 appearances for the Reds before leaving Anfield to join West Ham.

“The way I’d played at Newcastle — that was how I wanted to play. But Liverpool was completely different," he told The Athletic last year.

“I should have embraced their ideas, what they wanted. Thinking back, I really didn’t appreciate what I had and what I could have achieved."

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Andy Carroll, Liverpool, Transfers, West Brom

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_