OPINION
Andy Carroll never exactly hit the ground running at West Ham United during his spell at the London Stadium.
The England international was released by the Hammers in the summer and was snapped up by his boyhood club, Newcastle United and Steve Bruce at St James’ Park.
The 30-year-old moved on with the same injuries that had plagued him for so long during his time in East London and has struggled for consistent game time in the Premier League this season.
Carroll missed 24 games of action in the top flight last season [Source: Transfermarkt] and has yet to start a single game for Newcastle in this campaign.
The Chronicle reported on Thursday that Carroll has been withdrawn from the Magpies’ squad to face Wolves on Sunday, after feeling a twinge in his groin in their 1-0 defeat against Chelsea.
The newspaper claimed on their website that the former Hammer could return for his side for the clash against West Ham in less than two weeks’ time.
Carroll will surely be extra motivated to come back and make an impact against his former club, and that could well be the downfall of Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
West Ham will know all about Carroll, but it doesn’t make him any easier to deal with, as not many forwards have the aerial ability that he has.
Carroll has already won an average of 13.1 aerial battles per 90 minutes according to WhoScored and has the third-best average in the Premier League this season.
Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop will be in for a busy afternoon in the game with Newcastle should Carroll return to full fitness, and the 30-year-old could come back to haunt his former side.
The Newcastle forward could certainly come back to haunt West Ham when the two teams meet after the injury update claimed that he could return for that clash.
