West Ham striker Andy Carroll is set to miss the club’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur after the international break as he continues to be missing from first team training with his long term injury setback, according to Claret and Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news website claim that the giant forward, who has been missing for the entirety of the season, is yet to return to join Manuel Pellegrini’s squad and has no chance of playing Spurs, with only a small possibility that he will be fit to face Leicester City.
It is stated that fears over Marko Arnautovic’s knee injury, with the Austrian still in pain, left the Irons hoping that Carroll could alleviate the pressure off his shoulders, but that the English hitman is some way off fitness, and is likely to feature in at least one backup game before returning to the senior setup with a return date of early November.
Opinion
With Lucas Perez and Javier Hernandez hardly hitting the sort of form that should be expected of the pair, it leaves Arnautovic as the only striker who Pellegrini can call upon in these early stages of the season. Having Carroll back to take off some of the pressure, especially with the Austrian still in discomfort with his knee injury, would have been a big boost but at the same time they cannot afford to rush the former Newcastle and Liverpool man back too early after what has been another injury setback to add to a long list of problems. It is frustrating to know he is close to action but not yet ready to step up to the plate, for his game changing abilities could make the world of difference going forward. Still, he is not yet in first team training and he cannot be expected to make that leap from the sidelines to the first team without first getting into the groove with the rest of his teammates.