Sam Allardyce continues to be concerned by the lack of opportunities he has to get Andy Carroll match fit.

And with another blank weekened beckoning, the manager will attempt to get a behind-closed-doors friendely organised for the big man.

Sam admitted to the official site: “Andy Carroll has been constant in training terms but it’s match fitness that we need to help him with.

“If anybody needed a game next week it would be Andy but we’ve got to wait a couple of weeks before we can get him fit again.

“We may fit in a behind-closed-doors game for him and some of the other squad players that might not have been playing so much recently.”