Andy Carroll: What His Return from Injury Means for West Ham

West Ham striker Andy Carroll is back in training this week following a lengthy absence due to an ankle injury picked up over the summer.

With Carroll absent since the beginning of the new campaign, the Hammers find themselves in fourth place in the Premier League with 16 points. Which begs the question— what could Andy Carroll bring to the team right now?

For one, he is certainly bringing a new level of enthusiasm to the club. He told the club’s website:

"

We're playing fantastically. The gaffer has signed some great players and we're showing the quality we've got with the goals we're scoring. That's why we are where we are in the league, so for me to be a part of that—I cannot wait.

"

Unfortunately for the club’s No. 9, he might just have to wait a little bit longer. The biggest reason why he may have to wait to get in to the starting XI comes in the form of Diafra Sakho.

The £4.4 million signing from FC Metz has been in magnificent form since joining the east London club this summer scoring in six of his seven Premier League appearance so far (stat from ESPNFC.com).

Sakho’s contribution has meant that he has scored just over a third of West Ham’s goals in this Premier League campaign. This, in turn, has meant that the club has almost scored half of the goals they did last season in about half the time. Things are definitely looking up for Big Sam’s team.

It was evident last season that goals were hard to come by for the Hammers. Andy Carroll’s lack of a contribution last season certainly helped to their dismal tally of 40 in last season’s Premier League campaign.

It would certainly be a poor decision if Allardyce were to choose Carroll over Sakho once Carroll immediately returns from injury.

Carroll has failed to hit double digits in the Premier League since leaving Newcastle back in January 2011. His tally since then has been four goals in 35 games in 2011/12; seven in 26 games in 2012/13; and a woeful two in 15 games in 2013/14. (Stats from ESPNFC.com)

Of course, form is temporary and class is permanent, and Sakho has yet to prove that he is a “class” talent just yet. After all, there are quite a few players that have a breakout year in the Premier League, without managing to replicate the same form in the following season (think Swansea’s Michu.)

Furthermore, there is the argument that with Carroll returning to the squad, Allardyce has another attacking option that he could utilise. While Carroll is never going to set the world alight with his footballing prowess, he does provide the option of an aerial threat as well as the ability to hold up play as a lone striker—this could be part of the reason why he may never score that many goals.

Carroll, in that same interview with the club’s website, mentions the possibility of linking up with young left-back Aaron Cresswell:

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We scored three headers at Burnley, and another on Saturday with Cresswell crossing the ball in. He whips them in and puts them on a plate, so I can't wait to be involved with that.

Yes, the service that everyone is putting in the box to create chances has been great. That's what I thrive on.

"

Scoring headers is a part of Carroll’s game and it is definitely something that Allardyce will want to exploit with all the players who can cross a ball at the club, like Aaron Cresswell and Stewart Downing.

Two of Carroll’s biggest goals in his relatively young career have been headers according to his player profile on West Ham’s website. On his first full debut for Newcastle, Carroll scored a header in a 2-2 draw against West Ham and in Euro 2012, he scored one of the goals of the tournament with his head, in a 3-2 win over Sweden.

The bottom line, though, is that Carroll will have to wait before he is even considered for the subs bench, let alone the starting XI. As Allardyce said in his most recent press conference (according to Sky Sports) that he is still going through the last stage of a recovery process from pre-season.

Sakho should not lose his starting job any time soon (providing he is still fit enough to play against Stoke and Aston Villa.) However, Carroll’s return means that Allardyce will have a good alternative option alongside club veteran Carlton Cole. Things could look even brighter for West Ham this season.

 Broderick Sutherland is a B/R Contributor. Follow on him twitter—@BrodSutherland