Opinion
Manuel Pellegrini must include Andy Carroll in his plans for West Ham’s crucial Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Saturday.
The Geordie striker has been sidelined since July with yet another ankle injury, but is back in contention for game time, according to reports from Football.London.
Carroll was included in the match day squad for the Hammers’ defeat to Manchester City on Saturday but could, and should, have a more prominent role when returning to the north east next weekend.
The man mountain poses a threat that no other West Ham player does, and his physicality could be a useful weapon of disruption against a Newcastle side that is likely to be compact and intent on frustrating Pellegrini’s team.
With back-to-back wins under their belt Rafa Benitez’s side are enjoying something of a mini-resurgence and with the Magpies just three points behind them in the Premier League table, West Ham would be well-advised to stifle their momentum by any means.
A starting berth may prove to be a little ambitious for Carroll, but the option of his inclusion from the bench to worry tiring Newcastle bodies is one that Pellegrini should definitely exercise.