Carroll back from injury: good for West Ham... and England?
The injury-prone Hammers striker could make his first appearance of the season this weekend

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
DAYS after their 5-0 FA Cup humiliation at the hands of Nottingham Forest, Premier League strugglers West Ham have been given a boost with the news that record signing Andy Carroll could be ready to make a comeback, having spent the entire season sidelined with a foot injury. The centre-forward has not kicked a ball for the Hammers since making his loan from Liverpool permanent in a £15m deal this summer. Although he will not be ready for West Ham's League Cup semi-final against Man City on Wednesday, he could make the squad for the important relegation six-pointer against Cardiff City at the weekend. And there is also the possibility that he could return to the starting line-up for the match against the club where he first made his name, Newcastle, on 18 January. Carroll, who was tipped for greatness at the start of his career, has been plagued by injury and has failed to live up to his potential since leaving Newcastle for Liverpool in a £35m deal in January 2011. But news of his return will come as a boost for under fire West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, says the BBC. The Hammers have been so short of options up front this season that they have played some games without a recognised striker. There were rumours that Allardyce could lose his job after the televised rout at the hands of Championship promotion-chasers Forest on Sunday. However, West Ham's co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold gave him their full support in an open letter published on the club's official website. News of Carroll's impending return from injury came on the day that England forward Theo Walcott was ruled out of the World Cup but there appeared to be little enthusiasm about the prospect of a recall for the West Ham striker among fans. He has two goals in nine games for England, but has expressed a desire to force his way back into Roy Hodgson's plans.
Massive blow for England losing Walcott but I guess it does improve the chances on a call up for Andy Carroll! — Hash Brown (@AshBrownx) January 6, 2014
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Not a good idea
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Are private schools safe from Starmer?
Today's Big Question Schools would pay VAT under Labour government but party scraps plans to remove charitable status
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Sam Bankman-Fried: crypto on trial
Talking point The implosion of FTX may go down as one of the biggest financial frauds in American history
By The Week Staff Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published
-
Can Arsenal really win the Premier League title?
feature How the pundits reacted after the Gunners’ late 3-2 victory over Man Utd
By Mike Starling Published
-
Premier League festive fixtures to cause travel ‘chaos’ for football fans
feature English top-flight has confirmed the schedule for Boxing Day and New Year games
By Mike Starling Published