Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has sung the praises of West Ham United centre forward Andy Carroll.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet is wary of the threat that Andy Carroll could pose to his side when they take on West Ham United this weekend.
The Black Cats face Carroll’s team tomorrow looking to pick up only their third win of the season, but Poyet is under no illusions as to how tough it could be.
Carroll has been a revelation since coming back into the team after injury and Poyet believes he is a unique player in modern day football.
“Andy is special and different and I don’t think you can find another one of him in the game right now,” he said to the Daily Mail.
“The adrenaline of being out for a while has brought him back at the highest level you can have and you need to be able to deal with that.
“It’s a difficult game and we haven’t had that kind of challenge yet of a player like Carroll, so the goalkeeper and the centre-halves and everyone else are going to have a difficult afternoon.”
The damage that Carroll can cause to opposition teams was particularly evident in the Hammers’ last fixture.
A battering ram centre forward, Carroll bludgeoned his way through the Swansea City defence to score twice in the side’s 3-1 win and he was a constant threat throughout the match.
His partnership with Diafra Sakho already looks as if it could be a deadly one, despite the fact that the pair were only united up front for a brief period.
The duo are likely to be paired up from the start against Sunderland and if they can be similarly as effective, West Ham should come out of the fixture at the Stadium of Light victorious.
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