Andy Carroll could play a part in this weekend's match against Aston Villa, according to Sam Allardyce.
The striker made his first tentative steps towards a return to competitive football yesterday when he was part of a West Ham XI that faced Southend in a specially-arranged 60-minute match at Chadwell Heath.And according to Allardyce, a decision on whether to include Carroll in this weekend's 18-man match day squad will be taken sometime tomorrow.
"It depends how he feels this morning and how he trains on Friday," confirmed Allardyce, speaking to the media at this morning's pre-match press conference. "That will be the deciding factor on whether he gets into the squad or not.
"If he continues the way he is, if not this weekend, then by the end of the international break he should be okay and ready to join the squad."
Allardyce also confirmed that both Diafra Sakho and Winston Reid will face late fitness tests to determine whether or not they will be fit enough to be involved.
"He [Sakho] is training on Thursday for this first time, and Winston Reid will do some light training too," confirmed Big Sam.
"We'll wait and see how the session goes and the final decisions will be made on Friday as to who is available for selection."
To read Big Sam's comments in full, visit whufc.com.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
