David Moyes has been handed a triple boost with the return of Andy Carroll, Manu Lanzine and James Collins to training today (Friday).
The manager reported: “Andy is back in training. We got him back at the start of the week and we will keep monitoring him.
He’s trained for a few days, so we’ll see how he is. He’s obviously not played for eleven weeks, and I’ve got that in my mind as well.
“He’s champing at the bit, but that’s the same for the other players we’ve had out like Manuel Lanzini and James Collins who have only been out for four or five weeks.
“If we get Andy back it’s a big plus to us, as we know what he can do and how good he can be and what he can give us. The quicker we can get him back the better but is he going to be ready? I’m not sure yet.”
Both Collins and Lanzini also likely to be in the squad but a ‘Ginge’ return has to be unlikely after the fine showings of Declan Rice and Angelo Ogbonna against Chelsea.
However, the manager said: “They’ve both done some training today but we’ll have to see how they’ll be. I’m hoping both of them will have a good chance to be involved for the game on Monday.”
GbsHR.99
Let’s just get it right against Stoke … heard all I want about how good we could be . Carroll returning after injury is a massive plus which cannot be denied . Any football fan that would deny him his ability is daft imo . Probably better to keep the same team we played against Chelsea,,,, but if push comes to shove we need Carroll big time . Injuries have denied him and West Ham for far too long . If we can beat Stoke City on Monday and secure 3 more points there would be no reason to not play ; Carroll against Man City , Man Utd & Everton .
Leicester is a bonus game if we win the six pointer against Stoke . Who , in reality would be an effective replacement for a fit Andy Carroll ?? .,,,,,, nobody .
COYHAMMERS
The only thing I can take from your comments is that you must be related to Andy. I would say without doubt that most hammers would not want to see him after this season or at the very worse certainly beyond his current contract.
Do you have a number ( o – ?? ) of most Hammers . But I’ll bet my mortgage you’ll cheer when he scores ,, and have cheered in the past .
The only thing I can take from your comment , johnham1 ; is that you know very little about what you speak . Just another jump on the wagon like a blind man without knowing it’s destination . Andy Carroll for me every time ,,, like most Hammers fans that don’t spend Thier time protesting incoherently .
COYHAMMERS
I think a fit Andy Carroll, in the right mindset, is a great asset to have, but for me Arnautovic is turning out to be the player we all thought Carroll would turn out to be.
At just an inch shorter than Carroll, Arnie is almost as much of a threat in the air as Carroll (his header that led to the goal he scored on the rebound in the Southampton game is testament to that).
The big difference is that Arnie has real pace and power, so the supporting cast don’t have to only supply crosses or long balls to him, they can use the through-ball option for him to run onto (which in not in Carroll’s locker).
At this point in time Carroll is our 3rd string striker behind Arnie and Chicharito, but ahead of Hugill.
I predict the unplayable Andy Carroll (unplayable because he is never fit to play) will only see a maximum of 30 minutes a game up until the end of the season. What he does after that is yet to be decided but our focus must be on keeping Arnautovic, the much improved Carroll v2.0, at the club.