Sunday 1 January 2017 07:42, UK
Andy Carroll has pledged his future to West Ham, and revealed how yoga inspired a goalscoring comeback from injury.
Carroll has been linked with a big-money move to China but wants to see out the remainder of his contract with the Hammers, which runs until at least 2019.
"I'm very happy, I'm settled." Carroll told Sky Sports News HQ before West Ham's Premier League game against Manchester United.
"Obviously in the past I've done a lot of things and I've settled down here. I think it's great, I love the club. I think the staff, fans, players, and the area that I live, everything's perfect. I've settled in pretty well and I'm enjoying it."
When asked about transfer speculation linking him to a Chinese club, he smiled and replied: "No, no, I don't know where that came from."
Carroll showed Sky's cameras around his fiancée's yoga studio in Loughton, Essex, and credits his successful comeback with regular, ninety minute, classes in a room heated to 40 degrees celcius and humidity of 40 per cent. He missed more than three months on the sidelines this season.
"It's helped me a lot, especially when I've been injured," he said. "I've been doing a lot of work up here, it's been great. I'm feeling very good. I love going into training, I love being out on the pitch again. It's great being with the lads, having the banter, enjoying the games."
"He's actually quite good," laughed Billi Mucklow, Carroll's fiancée and yoga instructor. "He's just so strong. The flexibility is surprising given how strong he is. He's able to get into some positions. I'm a good teacher."
Carroll has invited some of his team-mates to yoga classes - "No joy yet," he joked - and praised the squad's togetherness.
"We've got great team morale, we're all on one group chat," he revealed. "The lads are great together. Everyone speaks to everyone, every day, in training and out of training. That's a massive plus for us, all the lads are together as a group."
Carroll scored against Swansea and Arsenal on his return from injury last month. West Ham's first game of the New Year is one of three home games in a row.
After a difficult start to the season at their new London Stadium, the players have won their last two games at home.
"It was tough at the beginning," says Carroll. "Now we're getting a few games there, the lads are starting to like it, the fans are warming to it. It's a fantastic stadium and a great place to play.
"We'd like to start the year off obviously with a win, it would be good for us. It's going to be a tough game."
Watch West Ham against Manchester United - Sky Sports 1 HD on Monday.
