The closest West Ham striker Andy Carroll has been to being fit all-season was back in the 2011-12 campaign; his 2nd season with Liverpool, when he played all but 3 league games.
The 28-year-old arrived London the following season but has since struggled with all sorts of injuries ranging from knee, ankle and Achilles injuries.
The former Newcastle hitman only returned to manager Slaven Bilic squad on Monday having started the campaign on the treatment table.
Indeed, the most league appearances Carroll has had in West Ham colors is the 27 he managed in 2015-16, and he was only a goal shy of hitting double digits during the record-breaking and setting campaign for the club.
The Hammers visit Hawthorns on Saturday to clash with West Brom, and Carroll is expected to help lead his side to victory after helping them to their first win of the season – against Huddersfield Town days ago.
Former West Ham boss Alan Pardew claimed were he to be in charge of the club, he wouldn’t let Carroll train as much as the rest of the team in order to keep him fit as much as possible.
However, Bilic believes that’s impossible given the need for Carroll to undergo constant special programmes to help strengthen the muscles around the areas which have caused him problems.
The Croatian believes they have taken a different measure in order to ensure the 28-year-old is available more than ever this term, though, and fans can only hope the plan works out as everyone is aware of what Carroll can do on his day.
Bilic told the London Evening Standard: “We have changed things, though. Last season, we would have put him in the team earlier, but this season we decided: “No, you are going to train for one month and then we will see.”
“Also, in the early stages of his rehabilitation, we pushed him a little harder. If he felt something, we told him he had to go through the discomfort — and he did that.
“It was a good decision because Andy is happy and he looks good. You never know what might happen in the future but right now, it’s good. He is also more mature.
“He knows he must manage himself and there are times when he needs to go in the gym rather than be out on the training pitch.”
