West Ham United

Andy Carroll: 'I enjoy physical battles'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 16 December 2016

West Ham United striker Andy Carroll insists that he still relishes the physical battle despite suffering from numerous injury problems in recent seasons.

West Ham United striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he still relishes the physical demands of the Premier League despite his lengthy injury record.

The 27-year-old has failed to make more than 13 Premier League starts in all but one of his four seasons with the Hammers since joining from Liverpool in 2012, and has again suffered with injuries this term.

However, despite being limited to just two league starts so far in 2016-17, Carroll revealed that previous attempts to alter his playing style have not been successful.

"I've tried to slow it down a bit. When Sam [Allardyce] was manager, he was trying to slow me down as well. But to be honest, I don't really know how to, and I don't want to," he told talkSPORT.

"I give it 110% every time and I work hard running about and running into people – that's what I enjoy doing. I give it out as much as I get. A lot of people say you're not allowed to be physical, but I kind of like it.

"I think if you take that [physical battle] away, it's just passing a ball around and not touching each other. It annoys me sometimes when the referees give free kicks – and it's not a free kick at all – it annoys me."

Carroll has suffered eight separate injuries since his move to West Ham, including a fractured foot and ligament damage in his knee.