West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has hinted that Andy Carroll could be in line for a surprise return when his side face Manchester United on Sunday.
Carroll has only recently returned to training following a three-month spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
However, Bilic is considering throwing the 27-year-old straight into the squad for this weekend's match at Old Trafford and talked up the impact Carroll can have on games when he is fit.
"He's been training with us for three days. He came back after a long injury and he's very close. He could be in the squad. We're going to see, because we are not talking about two weeks of training so we can say definitely. It has been this week, so we'll see," he told reporters.
"Last year, before he got injured, when he was fit he makes an impact on a game, no matter who you play against. It's very hard to play against him. The things he is giving us are great. But we've been talking about this since I came to West Ham.
"It's a shame because you don't see it coming, only when you look at his record on paper. You don't see in training and in games that he has got problems. But unfortunately it has happened a few times."
Carroll has missed 83 matches through injury since joining West Ham from Liverpool in 2013.
Barney Corkhill
