Sunday 9 November 2014 20:09, UK
West Ham striker Andy Carroll hopes he can put his injury hell behind him and re-establish himself as a regular starter at Upton Park.
The former Newcastle frontman came off the bench against Aston Villa to make his first appearance of the season following a lengthy absence after undergoing ankle surgery in the summer.
And Carroll, who joined Sam Allardyce’s side for a club-record fee of £15m in June last year, is eager to kick-start his career with West Ham.
“It’s obviously a great feeling to be back on the pitch where I think I belong,” he said. “It’s better than being in the gym.
“It’s been a nightmare. It’s been a killer to be honest, coming back from the end of last season and in the first week of training I find out I need surgery.
“It’s been disappointing and devastating and now I’ve just got to forget about everything that’s been going on for the last few months.”
The England striker paid tribute to the medical team at West Ham and hopes he can now consolidate his fitness during the international break.
“The medical staff have been a great help,” said Carroll.
“I’ve been working with them as a team and individually. We’ve worked outside of the club as well and they’ve been coming to my house.
“It’s a credit to them to get me back fit so quickly given the injury and the surgery that I had. They’ve got me back as quick as possible and I’m happy with my recovery.”
On his plans during the international break Carroll said: “It’s a chance for me with no games to train hard - and harder than I have been ahead of the games coming up in a couple of weeks’ time. Hopefully I’ll have a game behind closed doors so I can get my fitness up in that as well.”
