Carroll found life tough against Manchester United on Monday night after impressing in Newcastle's Championship-winning campaign last term. The 21-year-old failed to take a golden opportunity to put the Magpies ahead on their return to the Premier League and although he worked tirelessly for the remainder of the contest he was unable to make any impression on a sturdy Red Devils defence. Yet Hughton's faith in the Gateshead-born star remains unshaken and he is sure Carroll will emerge as a better player. "It was a wonderful experience for the young man," said the Magpies chief. "He is nowhere near the finished article but he is prepared to work hard and wants to learn. "That was a big step for him. With the quality of his heading you would have to put his opportunity down as a very good chance. "But there is no fear in his game and he didn't shy away after that. "Andy is going to learn a lot from that." Although Newcastle did not suffer in the same way as West Brom, who conceded six at Chelsea on Saturday, it did bring confirmation that Hughton is still a couple of players short. The days have gone when the St James' Park outfit could pay big money to attract the cream of Europe to the North-East. Hughton skirted around the subject of Marseille's controversial winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who tops Newcastle's shopping list and who appears to be unwilling to play for the French champions again. However, the Newcastle manager does expect a lot of deals to be done over the next couple of weeks. "Players become available very late, so if you go too early you might miss out on someone you would have liked," he said. "You also have to make sure you get players at the right prices and the financial aspect is a big one for almost everybody. "We have said we still need to strengthen. I am very hopeful of doing that before the window closes."
