By PHIL GRADWELL
West Ham fear Andy Carroll’s hamstring injury is worse than expected. The problem showed no sign of improvement on Sunday which suggests it is ‘significant’.
The Hammers were hoping Carroll would be out for just three weeks and fit to return for the home game against Sunderland on September 22.
That now seems unlikely and he will have a complete scan on Monday.
Sam Allardyce, though, insists that once fit again, Carroll will relish being the ‘big fish in a small pond’ at Upton Park.
That seems an odd statement to make about the most expensive British footballer – you would expect a player who cost £35million to be a dominant figure in any team.
But Carroll often seemed overwhelmed at Liverpool and had been on the margins of the first team, especially since the new manager came in.
Despite being seemingly unwanted at Liverpool, Allardyce revealed that Carroll was not keen to swap Anfield for Upton Park, saying: ‘He didn’t want to leave, but he had to accept that Brendan Rodgers wanted to go down a different route, which every manager’s entitled to.
‘We’re not as big a club as Liverpool but Andy can come and play first-team football in the Premier League.’
He certainly relished being the big fish on Saturday. He made a dream start to his Claret-and-blue debut, flicking the ball on for Ricardo Vaz Te to set up Kevin Nolan to score after 53 seconds of the 3-0 win over Fulham.
Carroll also unsettled the visiting defence in the build-up to Matt Taylor’s third goal, which came after Winston Reid’s header. Carroll benefits from an arm round the shoulder and he was shown a lot of love before, during and after the match.
The crowd were singing his name prior to kick-off, his team-mates appreciated his efforts and encouraged him, and Allardyce sang his praises in interviews.
According to Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, Carroll was a ‘square peg in a square hole’ at Liverpool.
West Ham will play to his strengths, showcased in his bullying of Brede Hangeland.
The downside was the injury in the 68th minute, which meant he had to pull out of the England squad.
Allardyce knows how important Carroll’s international career is to him, saying: ‘Andy had to accept he had to move to make sure of first-team football.
It’s all right saying he’s going to sit on the bench at Liverpool but he’d lose his England place.’ If he is going to stay in the England frame he will have to play consistently and score. Should this happen, West Ham will be in a healthy position.
Allardyce acknowledged this, adding: ‘If Andy scores between 10 and 15 goals, it is going to give us a great chance to be out of the relegation zone. If he gets 15-20, we can get in the top 10.’
To do this, he will need supply.
The likes of Taylor will be important, therefore, and the midfielder is looking forward to providing the ammunition for Carroll.
Taylor said: ‘He is good on the ball. When he flicks it on he doesn’t do it aimlessly – he tries to pick people out. He’s very good on the floor, strong, quick. Unplayable, the manager said.’
From unwanted to unplayable in the space of a few days. If Carroll carries on like this, he could prove quite a catch.
