Thursday 9 February 2017 22:47, UK
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has said Andy Carroll has not trained all week and is a doubt for Saturday's match with West Brom.
Bilic said a decision will be made on Friday whether the in-form striker plays this weekend or not but said the groin injury is nothing serious, with the club only taking precautions due to his history with injuries.
He said: "A few players have not trained like (Aaron) Cresswell, Carroll and (Cheikhou) Kouyate but we will wait and see on Friday.
"It is not anything major. Andy felt something similar to what he had at Middlesbrough and hopefully he will be okay for Saturday. This is the only week he didn't train with us basically since he came back from injury that ruled him out for a long time.
"He trained 80-90 per cent of the sessions of the time he has trained with us and for me that is the key. Of course you have to find a balance for every player, especially for him who has had a history of injuries but the players have to train to maintain fitness and to prevent injuries."
Bilic feels an England call-up for Carroll would give the striker a major confidence boost.
His form since returning from injury, with four goals in his last four matches, has prompted talk of an international recall. The 28-year-old's last England appearance came in October 2012 in a World Cup Qualifier against San Marino.
Bilic said: "He is a top player. He brings you everything, everything that you could ask from a centre-forward.
"He is great in the air, he is very physical, has a great touch and a great sense to combine with other players by playing the ball off.
"He is very difficult, if not impossible, to mark in the box. He works hard for the team, he brings other players into the game - he has got all the attributes that are required for a top player.
"I don't know if Gareth Southgate is a big fan, but when Andy is playing like that every manager would like to have him in his team or squad.
"Andy would help any team. Andy would help the German team, Andy would help the Croatian team, the Spanish team, because he is a top player."
Bilic is expecting another hard game against West Brom as his side look for a fourth league win in their last five before they head to the Middle East for a mini-break.
He said: "West Brom are a very strong team and are hard to beat. They are great at set-pieces and very versatile. It will be a tough game on Saturday.
"The first target for us is 40 points and we still have a lot to do to reach it. Since I have been here we have not been away during the season. We now have a gap [after West Brom] and we are going to Dubai.
"We are going there to train, work hard and re-charge the batteries. You have to think about the bigger picture."
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