The West Ham United hitman is somewhat of an enigma.
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini spoke to reporters today, and claimed that when Andy Carroll is fit and firing on all cylinders, there are not too many players who can match his quality, as quoted by the club’s official website.
The 30-year-old joined the Hammers initially on loan from Liverpool in the summer of 2012, before making the move permanent the following summer.
Carroll’s time with West Ham has been severely blighted by injuries, however, and he has made just 60 Premier League starts over the past five-and-a-half years.
The former Liverpool and Newcastle hitman does offer the Hammers something different, however, and Pellegrini offered high words of praise for him, when speaking to the club’s official website:
“When you come back from a long injury and you are not competing weekly, you have to be careful not to get another injury. That’s why we are giving him some amount of minutes every game. I think if he recovers his shape and continues working every day of the week without any injuries there are not too many players with his quality.”
When the big big Geordie is on form, he is undoubtedly a real handful, but Pellegrini’s comments on the striker seem to be exaggerated to say the least.
Carroll’s first target should be to stay fit and in shape for the remainder of the campaign for West Ham, and see where that takes him.
He is out of contract in the summer, and as things stand, he will surely have to do a lot more, if he is to earn a new deal with the Hammers.
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