West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has revealed striker Andy Carroll may be 'just a few days away' from a first team return, as the England striker steps up his training schedule in a bid to recover from a knee injury.
Carroll could be available to take part in the FA Cup third round replay against Manchester United at Old Trafford next Wednesday, but boss Allardyce is keen to play down his imminent comeback as he warns the on-loan Liverpool striker still has some fitness hurdles to leap over.
"It could be a few days or it could be a bit longer than that, depending on his progression," Allardyce said. "We're assessing him day-by-day. He is doing some straight-line running and has been doing that for a few days.