Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is delighted with the current form of Ciaran Clark.

The Toon boss has spent the week checking in on his players as far as wear and tear is concerned with the lack of pre-season cranking up the number of injuries in the top-flight.

Bruce told Chronicle Live: "Ciaran Clark in particular did really well for me until he broke his ankle.

"Ciaran is in a better place after playing against Morecambe in the League Cup.

"He did his thigh, but the more we have back the better.

"With the injuries in the Premier League are up by 40% so we're not alone.

"We always expected it.

"When I looked at the fixture list - December especially - it looks obscene.

"The more we get back fit the better we will be."