Not the right time for Gutierrez yet, says Carver

John Carver says the time is not yet right to throw Jonas Gutierrez back into the Newcastle United first team.

Newcastle United manager John Carver believes he cannot yet throw Jonas Gutierrez back into first-team action following the Argentinian’s recovery from testicular cancer.

Gutierrez returned to training in December, and made his comeback with an appearance for Newcastle’s Under-21 side later that same month.

The 31-year-old has recently backed Carver to be given the manager’s job on a permanent basis and has declared himself ready to play, should he be selected.

However, Carver is hesitant to throw the winger back into the fray.

“A little bit of it is in his hands. He can play, but you know when you’re ready to go at Premier League level,” he said.

“I am waiting for the right time and it’s not right at the moment.

“I can see that on the training ground. He has come back from a serious situation and I’m not putting any pressure on him.

“It’s got to be right. He’s got to get in the team, in his position.

“He has to compete to get on the left-hand side and there is a lot of competition there, more than we’ve had for a long time.

“At this moment in time, it’s too early to say that. Let’s see what happens as we get towards the end of the season.”