Bilic hopes for Carroll call-up

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says an England recall would give Andy Carroll "a boost of confidence".

The 28-year-old, whose last England appearance came in October 2012 in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino, hopes to add to his nine caps when the Three Lions face Germany in a friendly and Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier next month.

Bilic says he hasn't spoken to England boss Gareth Southgate about a call-up for Carroll, but insists he won't stand in his way despite the former Newcastle and Liverpool forward's well-publicised injury problems.

"It’s always good for us, and the player, to win a cap because that is the biggest proof he is in good form," he said.

"Especially when it is happening to mature players like Andy, he will take that only as another boost of confidence."

"I have not spoken to him [Gareth Southgate] about it. We spoke last year when he was manager of the U21s but I have not spoken to him about Andy since he took over."

Carroll was substituted with a minor groin injury after scoring in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Southampton but Bilic expects him to be fit in time to face West Brom at the London Stadium on Saturday.

"This is the only week he has not trained with us since he came back from injury that ruled him out for a long time," he said.

"He has basically trained 80 to 90 percent of the training sessions we have had and for me that is the key.

"You have to find a balance for every player, especially Andy who has had a history of injuries. The players have to train to stay fit and to prevent injuries.

"If the player is match fit and has trained for a few weeks there is no harm if they rest for the whole week. I know there have been examples of players who never trained and just played like [former Tottenham defender] Ledley King, but they are one-offs.

"But players need to train to avoid injuries."

Photo by Getty Images/ Ian MacNicol

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