Sam Allardyce has revealed that the man he calls “his trusted captain” – Kevin Nolan – can’t get into the Hammers team.

And he will wait until he sees how Andy Carroll feels today, and how he trains tomorrow, before deciding if he is to be part of the squad for the match  against Aston Villa.

Asked in his morning press conference whether he was facing a bigger challenge to get himself back in the team – which we would have thought was a given anyway! – the manager said: “ “Everybody faces a bigger challenge than they did last season because the strength in depth of the squad has been proven to be very strong up to now.

“Even my trusted captain has found it difficult to break his way back into the side, so he’s frustrated as are other players like Matt Jarvis, Ricardo Vaz Te and Joey O’Brien.

“These were my regular players last season but because the players have done so well when they’ve not been available, it’s difficult for me to put them back in based on the performances and results.”

On Carroll, he added: “If he continues the way he is, if not this weekend, then by the end of the international break he should be okay and ready to join the squad.”

The full press conference can be read at www.whufc.com