Liverpool loanee in contention for West Ham comeback against Fulham

By Nick Wright Wednesday, January 23, 2013
8:50 AM

West Ham’s Andy Carroll could make his return from injury as early as next Wednesday’s clash against Fulham, manager Sam Allardyce has revealed.

The striker, on loan from Liverpool, has been sidelined since twisting his knee in November.

The Hammers have loaned Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh and Brazilian Wellington Paulista in the meantime, but Carroll will be hoping to reclaim his place in Allardyce’s starting line-up.

The West Ham boss expects Carroll to resume full training at the end of this week and while he would prefer to first give him a run out with the under-21s, he admits he could be called upon against the Cottagers.

“I hope that by Fulham he will have completed his rehab,” said Allardyce.

“He’s training on a daily basis now and he will have joined in hopefully by the end of the week, or certainly the beginning of next.”

He continued: “If needed against Fulham he might be considered but obviously he won’t have played a game for a long time.

“So if everything’s looking ok squad-wise then it will be about trying to get him a game in the under-21s or behind closed doors and then putting him back in the squad.”

Asked if he had expected the England star to be absent for so long, Allardyce said: “It’s about the right time now.

“We always try to see if we achieve a bit better than the prognosis but in Andy’s case we’re where we thought it would be.

“In the end it’s better that we get him fully fit this time and make sure he stays fully fit now until the end of the season.

“It’s been a big frustration for him and for us because of the two injuries he’s had since he’s been here.”