ANDY CARROLL has revealed he wanted to FAIL his Liverpool medical in 2011 despite his then-British record 35million transfer from Newcastle.
The Geordie die-hard, 30, was injured at the time of his big January move and was secretly praying he’d be able to stay at the Toon.
Carroll claimed it was nothing to do with Liverpool and more a burning desire to stay at St James’.
The ex-England star told the Daily Mail: “Do you know what? I was injured at the time, and all I’m thinking is, ‘Please, just fail the medical’.
“The minute I got on that helicopter I wanted to come back.
“I remember leaving (Newcastle’s training ground) in Kevin Nolan’s car because loads of people were outside.
“We went to his house and watched it on TV. I was like, ‘I’m not going’. I’d just bought a house, and a cat the day before!
“But then I was told, ‘You’re going’, and that was that.”
Carroll went on to join West Ham after a largely unsuccessful two years at Anfield – and eventually made his way back home this summer following a six-year spell in East London.
And the Newcastle icon has revealed he was determined to one day return to the Magpies.
Carroll revealed: “I would have rather stayed at the time and all the way to the helicopter I’m thinking, ‘What is happening? What am I doing?’.
“But looking back, and how it shaped me as a player and a person, I would honestly still do it. I probably needed to get out of the city to grow up.’
“I knew it had to happen. Whatever age, I needed to walk back on that pitch and play for Newcastle again.”
Meanwhile, Carroll has also opened up about his continuing fear following his motorbike gunman horror of 2016.
