West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has warned the Premier League that a fully-fit Andy Carroll is unplayable.
The England striker came off the bench to score a towering header in last Saturday's 2-1 win over Chelsea to put a lengthy injury layoff behind him following a string of knee problems.
"Now hopefully he is in a good position to become less injured or, if we are lucky, hopefully free of injuries," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "That was the main issue, that was the problem. His quality, as I said 20 times, was never an issue. When he is fit, he is capable of everything.
"We are good in the air without Carroll, we have Diafra Sakho and Nikica Jelavic, who are good in the air. But he is maybe the best in England - definitely, when he is fit. It is not just his ability. When a good ball comes in like Aaron Cresswell's against Chelsea it is basically up to him. No matter how good the defenders are in the air, it is more up to Andy.
"If the good balls come to an area where he is, it is almost impossible to mark him. His game is not just that. He has a sense and feeling for the game, he sees the move two or three moves before, which makes him a great player."
The Irons sit third in the Premier League table, two points behind co-leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.
Shane Callaghan
