Just when West Ham supporters were beginning to feel their roster had turned the corner, the medical team may have handed them grim news.
Manager Sam Allardyce has brought in a bevy of promising prospects this offseason, from Ecuadorian star attacker Enner Valencia to Argentine striker Mauro Zarate and promising English player Diego Poyet.
[ MORE: West Ham agree fee for Enner Valencia ]
But striker Andy Carroll has already been bitten by the injury bug. It may only cost him a couple preseason friendlies, if you believe the team. If you don’t, though…
He may be out for about four months, according to West Ham owner David Sullivan’s son Twitter account (Yes, we realize how ridiculous this sounds, but no, it’s not the first time the Hammers had news break in this fashion).
Here’s the since-deleted Tweet:
The good news for Hammers is that the Tweet was unofficial and deleted, while here’s what the team said regarding Carroll’s absence from the team’s New Zealand preseason friendlies. From the Guardian:
The England striker was withdrawn from the squad to face Wellington in a friendly on Wednesday “as a precautionary measure” after reporting a sore left ankle during training. He is not expected to miss the start of the new season.
“Andy Carroll will miss both games on the Football United tour of New Zealand as a precautionary measure after developing a sore left ankle during training,” read a statement on West Ham’s website.
“After assessment by the club’s medical experts, it was decided to let the England international rest for both remaining games and receive intensive treatment to ensure he is fit for the start of the season.
It should be clear that the affected area is not in any way associated with the previous injury he successfully overcame towards the end of last season.”
Zarate scored for West Ham yesterday in their surprising preseason loss to New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix.
