Slaven Bilic has revealed Andy Carroll must prove he can stay fit for prolonged periods in order to earn a new West Ham deal.
Carroll has entered the final two years of his existing deal and the Hammers would usually look to tie down a player’s long-term future at this stage of their contract.
However, the 28-year-old’s career has been plagued by a reoccurring injuries and Bilic wants Carroll to prove he can be counted on before West Ham open fresh contract talks.
“He’s got two years and this is to be fair his season to be fit, to stay fit, because if we are talking about his contract, the question mark about him is his fitness, how much he is available during the season,” The Daily Mirror quote Bilic as saying ahead of Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham.
“We are doing things a little bit different in terms of we are not pushing him as soon as he was back. I remember two seasons ago or even last season that they told us it was always the case in his career, after a couple of sessions rolling up sleeves and roll inside and 100 mph straight away.
“We have done a little bit different now. We are trying to maintain and improve his fitness by managing him not with a caution but not also to rush him straight away if we need him. He was always in good shape. Of course, when he comes back from injuries he needs to get co-ordination back.
“He was always in a good shape for us, and that was a killer because you want him to be playing for us.”
Carroll is always a handful for opposition defenders when available but the problem for West Ham has been getting him on the pitch on a consistent basis. In fact, since joining West Ham on a permanent deal in 2013, Carroll has not managed to start more than 15 Premier League games in a single-campaign.
The former England international is expected to make his third league appearance of the season when West Ham face Tottenham on Saturday and will be looking to cause problems for Mauricio Pochettino’s defence at the London Stadium. Despite only managing 164 minutes of league action this term, only three Premier League strikers have won more aerial duels than Carroll (22).
