Slaven Bilic has urged Andy Carroll to recapture the form which once made him England’s most expensive footballer.

The Irons boss said: “Andy’s quality was never in doubt, that was not the issue. It was always about fitness.

“Apart from in that one season when he scored a million goals for Newcastle – and he should always be like this.

“Whatever we do, he is putting us one level up. The game against Norwich he came on for 15 minutes and we created three chances with him being involved. He came on against Palace and got the assist and got the goal against Chelsea.

“He should be more consistent and stay away from injuries. I’m saying nothing new, it is the same old story. He did the same thing for years, came into the side and scored the winning goal and then got injured.”

He said: “We can’t say that we don’t have physical presence in the the box without Andy but he is maybe the best in England – definitely when he is fit.

“When a good ball comes in like [Aaron] Cresswell’s against Chelsea it is basically up to him, no matter how good the defenders are in the air, it is more up to Andy.

“If the good balls come in an area where he is it is almost impossible to mark him. His game is not just about that, he has a sense and feeling for the game, he sees the move two or three moves before which makes him a great player.”