Tuesday 30 May 2017 10:13, UK
Andy Carroll is a doubt for West Ham's clash with Watford this weekend, according to boss Slaven Bilic.
Carroll missed the 2-2 draw with West Brom on 11 February with a minor groin injury, and remains a doubt for Saturday.
Bilic - who took his squad to Dubai for some warm-weather training last week - has not yet ruled the striker out of the Vicarage Road clash, but says the Chelsea game the following week is a more likely target.
"Maybe he has a chance to be in the squad for the Watford game on Saturday," said Bilic. "I was expecting Andy Carroll to train in Dubai but it is a bit slower than we expected.
"I don't want to rule him out of Watford. But it's Thursday and he didn't train since the game he got injured in, against Southampton. But in the end you never know. We will see. If he can run today and train tomorrow [Friday] then maybe.
"If he would be available for Watford it would be great - if not, then Chelsea."
The injury is a niggling issue, and Bilic admits it is frustrating for him and Carroll.
"I can only repeat that, when he is fit and playing, he is a top striker for me", he added. "I told him in Dubai that those small things that are damaging or affecting his return are no good for him, no good for us, and no good for an England call up.
"A similar thing happened last year, when he was great in the beginning but he got injured, and didn't play for a few weeks."
The Hammers were beaten 4-2 at home by Watford early in the season but Bilic expects a different game on Saturday.
He added: "We are a different team from the one who last faced Watford - we had so many players injured but we are in a much better shape now."
