West Ham boss Slaven Bilic foresees England recall for Andy Carroll

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes Andy Carroll can make the England squad for Euro 2016 if he can stay fit.

Carroll has been ravaged by fitness problems since signing for the Hammers from Liverpool in June 2013.

The 26-year-old missed five months of the 2013/14 campaign with a heel injury and last season made only 16 appearances after separately tearing ankle and knee ligaments.

But Carroll is now close to full fitness, after starting West Ham's Capital One Cup defeat to Leicester last week, and Bilic believes the striker will win an England recall if he avoids further time on the sidelines.

"The England squad will come as a logical result if things are cured," Bilic said. "First of all he has to stay away from injuries. Only with that can he be in a position to have a great season.

"In the past it has not been because he dropped in form, it's because he was injured. Step number one, he has made it, he has had a good pre-season, even it was after the season already started, he is now fit.

"The quality was never in doubt, the problem was fitness and without that you can't have form."

Carroll came off the bench in West Ham's 2-2 draw against Norwich last Saturday but raised concern after taking a heavy challenge on his ankle.

A scan has shown no serious damage, however, and the fearless frontman is expected to be available for Saturday's trip to struggling Sunderland.

"You don't want to take it away from him, that's why he is Andy Carroll," Bilic said.

"It's his biggest enemy but also his biggest quality, that he rolls up his sleeves and he goes straight in the box, gives the centre-half and goalkeeper a bit of a strange look - that's why he's like that.

"You want to moderate that a little bit, maybe 10 per cent, tell him not to go for those crazy challenges, but you don't want to take that away because then he would be half the player."