West Ham United striker Andy Carroll has hit out at critics who have suggested that he prefers being out with injuries.

The 27-year-old has been plagued with injuries during his playing career and has had no fewer than 14 stints on the sidelines during his four years with the Hammers, including four times this campaign alone.

"A lot of people think that I actually want to be injured," Carroll said in an interview with The Telegraph. "The way people talk, 'Oh, he's injured again. Oh, he's doing this'. I certainly don't want to be injured.

"I know it's a job but it's my hobby as well. I want to be on the pitch playing football. I don't want to be sitting in the gym being annoyed or going home and watching football on TV.

"I enjoy coming into training every day, being on the pitch with the lads, the banter. When you are sitting in the gym it really is depressing and puts you down. It is something that – fingers crossed – never happens again. It's the worst part of it."

Carroll scored a 10-minute hat-trick last weekend as the Hammers claimed a point in a 3-3 draw with London rivals Arsenal.