Friday, December 2, 2016

Slaven Bilic: Andy Carroll 'ready' to return for West Ham against Arsenal

Slaven Bilic: Andy Carroll

Andy Carroll is ready to wreak more havoc on Arsenal, according to West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic.

The target man is in the Hammers squad for the first time since August and is in contention to lead the line against the Gunners.

The 27-year-old has been sidelined for three-and-a-half months with a knee injury he suffered against Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League.

And under-pressure Irons boss Bilic hopes the former Liverpool and Newcastle striker can start firing again to lift his side away from relegation troubles.

He said: “He will be in the squad, so he's ready.

“He's a player that offers something special, he is one of the reasons why we were so prolific last season in front of goal, why we were so versatile, so dangerous, why we scored so many goals and why we finished so high.”

Last season, Carroll notched an impressive hat-trick against Arsene Wenger’s men in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Upton Park and terrorised their back four all afternoon.

That afternoon fixture saw West Ham battle back from two goals down only to be pegged back to ensure the points would be shared.

And Bilic insists the six-foot-four striker is still as aerially potent as ever, despite his persistent injury problems.

“You can simply be very dangerous in the box if he's playing there because he occupies basically the whole box,” he said.

"From anywhere in the box when you put a cross in, a half-decent one, he makes it a good ball and the defences __have to take care of him.

"No centre-back feels comfortable when he's close to the goal and the ball's in the air."