SHOCK CROCKS
Hammers sicknote pair Carroll and Wilshere to report fit to face champs
WEST HAM’S walking wounded could make a moraleboosting return against Manchester City on Saturday.
Injured pair Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere are both in line to return after lengthy lay-offs.
Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini has been nursing £15million injury-prone striker Carroll back to fitness, and the big man came through 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly with Brentford last week.
The 29-year-old is now likely to be on the bench against Premier League leaders City at the London Stadium.
Midfielder Wilshere, 26, has not played since September 1 and has had ankle surgery.
But the former
Arsenal star has stepped up his recovery and has a chance of making the bench against City. Even if Wilshere does not make it, he is determined to be ready for Newcastle the following weekend. Carroll’s latest problems stemmed from an ankle injury picked up in pre-season.
He has not played since coming on as a substitute against Manchester United last May. He is in the last year of his £100,000-a-week contract and needs to stay fit if he is to earn a new deal. Carroll’s return to fitness comes at a good time for Pellegrini, who is facing a mounting injury list as he tries to steer West Ham away from the relegation zone.
Striker Andriy Yarmolenko is out until April with an Achilles tendon rupture, Manuel Lanzini for six weeks after cruciate ligament surgery, defender Winston Reid is out with a knee problem and now full-back Ryan Fredericks has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shin problem.
West Ham are determined to hang on to striker Marko Arnautovic (left), whose form this season has made him a target for Manchester United and Everton.
But the Austrian – a second-half substitute in his country’s 2-1 Nations League win over Northern Ireland on Sunday – said: “We have a big game against City – I’m only thinking of this.”
The Hammers are lining up a £5m January deal for Greek left-back Leonardo Koutris, 23, who plays for Olympiakos.