Andy Carroll set for West Ham return against former club Newcastle on Monday

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic revealed Carroll is in contention to play against old club Newcastle

ANDY CARROLL is set for a poignant return against his home town club Newcastle after convincing West Ham manager Slaven Bilic he is finally fully fit.

 

Injury has plagued the striker since he made his £15 million permanent move to the club two years and his latest knee surgery has kept him out of action since February.

Such is his luck, his return was further delayed last month when he turned his ankle putting on a pair of shoes and that fragility has been a concern for Bilic.

 

While former manager Sam Allardyce took every precaution in bringing Carroll back into action after each lay-off, Bilic has gone a stage further and insisted the player undergo the rigours of a full pre-season work-out.

Now he feels he has reached that point.

Bilic said: “Is he in contention? It looks like he is good. We have changed his recovery and rehabilitation a little bit.

 

“A few times before straight after his injuries when he was ok he would train for a few days and then play straight away.

“However, with the nature of his size and the way he plays – he is not one to avoid tackles or escape challenges, he fights – he would get injured again.

“It’s psychological as much as anything. This time he has completed six weeks of let’s call it ‘pre-season’ and he looks very good in training.

“We are going to see if he selected. But probably.”