The rift was made public, and after Souness called certain players "dodgy" during his Sky TV interview, many Toon fans were wondering if Carr was included on Souness' hit list. Carr was injured in the derby victory over Sunderland on October 30 but postponed his comeback against former club Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Eve.
Souness: "Stephen and I have not fallen out. It was written that we had a fall out, which suggests we were going to have a boxing match or something. That is not the case, we had words and I think that's the best way to sum it up. It was not a bust-up and he is in the squad this weekend.
"I'm delighted he's back. To be fair to young Ramage, he has done very well because he is a centre-half playing out of position. Playing as a full-back in the modern game is about going forward and making telling passes, as well as defending. That is not Peter's strength but he has done fantastically well for us. We have been unsettled in that position. You're going to welcome back your big players, your big hitters at any time. We're pleased to have a player of Stephen's calibre back at any point but especially now because of the other players we've got out."