OPINION
There is no doubting that West Ham’s Andy Carroll has proven himself as an effective option up top for the clubs he has played for but he has been fringe figure rather than star man in recent years.
The 6’4″ colossus (source: Transfermarkt) is among the best target men in the division, joining the likes of Olivier Giroud and Aleksandar Mitrovic as strikers who use their height and physicality to dominate defences and bully back lines into submission.
However, with a contract that runs out at the end of the season and little playing time thanks to an injury blow suffered last summer, the English forward is facing a crucial couple of months to earn himself a future at the London Stadium.
He was handed his longest run out of the campaign against Birmingham City in the FA Cup on Saturday, coming off the bench to play 70 minutes in the 2-0 win and while he might have found himself on the score sheet, his struggles to be an effective member of the squad were clear as day.
Where Marko Arnautovic, the man he replaced, was fluid and brought his teammates into the game, Carroll was a one trick pony, limiting the options to the rest of the side and slowing play down immeasurably.
The style of football West Ham want to play just does not suit Carroll and the arrival of manager Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2018 seems to have been the death knell for the 29-year-old.
He has no regular part to play in the Hammers’s side moving forward, with a focus on fast flowing football under the Chilean, and a new contract seems a long shot now.
Saturday was his best chance to shine, but instead it highlighted just how unsuited to Pellegrini Carroll really is.